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MAKE-AT-HOME 

THINGS 


mm. 


CAROLYN 

SHERWIN 
BAILEY 


AND 


MARIAN  ELIZABETH  BAILE\ 


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CORfRlGHT  DEPOSm 


BOYS^  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 


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BOYS' 

MAKE-AT-HOME 

THINGS 


BY 

CAROLYN  SHERWIN  BAILEY 

AND 

MARIAN  ELIZABETH  BAILEY 


WITH    NUMEROUS   ILLUSTRATIONS   AND   DIAGRAMS 


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NEW   YORK 

FREDERICK  A.  STOKES  COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 


■    *  ■  o 

Copyright,  igi2,  by 
Frederick  A.  Stokes  Company 

All  rights  reserved,  including  that  of  translation  into  foreign 
languages,  including  the  Scandinavian 


September^   igi2 


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tCI.A31U875 


PREFACE 

Make-At-Home-Things  for  Boys  aims  to  keep 
boys  busy  and  entertained.  It  furnishes  them 
with  simple  directions  for  making  toys  and  useful 
articles,  all  of  which  are  carefully  pictured.  The 
aim  of  the  book,  is  to  give  boys  an  idea  of  the 
craft  possibilities  which  lie  in  the  crudest  mate- 
rials, often  the  waste  material  of  the  home  and  in 
this  way  to  develop  real  artistic  ability. 


CONTENTS 

PAGE 

Preface    v 

The  Making  of  Tools  Necessary  for  Whittling  i 

How  TO  Make  a  Practical  Work  Bench  ...  7 

Work  Bench  Accessories      .......  15 

How  TO  Make  a  Turning  Lathe      .....  21 

How  TO  Make  a  Toy  Train  ....      =     ..  29 

Out-door  Toys 37 

How  TO  Make  Your  Own  Desk  Set      ....  45 

Wild  Animals  You  can  Make 53 

How  TO  Make  a  Set  of  Mission  Furniture  .     .  59 

Toys  That  Hide  in  the  Wood  Box 65 

The  Wonderful  Dodo  Bird 75 

A  Fleet  of  Toy  Boats 83 

How  to  Make  a  Play  Tent 89 

How  TO  Make  Your  Own  Tops 95 

The  Farm  the  Scissors  Built loi 

More  Box  Plays 107 

A  Recipe  for  a  Noah's  Ark 113 

How  TO  Make  Your  Own  Uniform 117 

Jointed  Toy  Animals.     How  to  Make  Them  .     .  123 

Your  Own  Circus 129 

Bead  Work  for  Boys i35 

How  TO  Make  Stick  Pictures 143 

vii 


Vlll 


CONTENTS 


A  Toy  Indian  Village      .... 
Corn  Toys  and  How  to  Make  Them 
How  TO  Make  a  Marble  Bag  . 
How  TO  Make  Your  Own  School  Box 
A  Home-made  Christmas  Tree  Stand 
How  TO  Wrap  Christmas  Parcels  . 
Your  Own  Wireless  Receiving  Station 


PAGE 

149 
155 

165 
171 

177 
183 


ILLUSTRATIONS 

Whittled   Toy   Train Frontispiece 

FACING  PAGE 

Knife-Strop ^ 

Whittled  Weather  Vane;  Kite  Stick;  "Cat";  Reel 

for   Fish   Line;  "Cat"   Stick 38 

File;   Ink  Well;   Pen  Tray 46 

Book  Rack 5° 

Whittled  Wild  Animals:     Giraffe,  Camel     ...  54 

Whittled  Wild  Animals :     Bear,  Lion,  "Darwin"     .  56 

Dolls'  Chair  and  Table  Whittled  in  Mission  Style     .  60 

Dolls'  Whittled  Chest  of  Drawers ;  Dolls'  Whittled 

Bed        64 

Toy  Barnyard  Made  of  Kindling  Wood     ...  68 

A  Set  of  Dolls'  Furniture  Made  by  Gluing  Together 

Blocks  of  Kindling  Wood 74 

The  Dodo  Bird 80 

A  Cork  Raft;  A  Cork  Sail  Boat 84 

Whittled  Toy  Sail  Boat 88 

Whittled  Clown  Top 9^ 

Beet  Top;  Top  Made  of  Graduated  Disks;  Button 

Mold   Top 98 

ix 


X  ILLUSTRATIONS 

FACING    PAGE 

Cart,  Barn  and  Barrow  Made  of  Cardboard  Boxes  .  104 

Circus  Parade  (The  Cage  is  Made  of  a  Shoe  Box)  .  108 

The  Ark ;  Cardboard  Animals  Who  Live  in  the  Ark  .  112 

Going   Aboard    the    Ark 114 

Pattern  for  Soldier's  Cap ;  The  Finished  Uniform : 
Cap,  Shield,  Sword  and  Epaulets 120 

Jointed  Cardboard  Animals 126 

A  Bead  Loom  Made  of  a  Box  Cover     ....   140 

Stick  Illustration  of  the  Story  of  The  Three  Bears  .    146 

Corn  Cob  Pappoose:  Corn  Cob  Indian     .      .      .      .158 

Whittled  School  Box;  Chamois  Marble  Bag     .      .164 


BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 


BOYS'    MAKE-AT-HOME 
THINGS 

THE   MAKING  OF  TOOLS   NECESSARY 
FOR  WHITTLING 

THE  tools  which  one  will  need  for  whittling — 
the  kind  of  whittling  that  makes  something 
besides  sphnters — are  very  simple  and  few  in 
number.  Any  boy's  pocket  will  furnish  a  jack- 
knife,  and  it  is  pretty  sure  to  be  a  sharp  one. 

With  a  knife,  a  pencil,  and  some  pieces  of 
wood,  all  the  other  tools  may  be  made.  Bass- 
wood  is  the  easiest  wood  to  handle  because  it  is 
soft,  and  very  close  grained.  If  basswood  can 
not  be  had,  pine  is  the  next  best  wood,  and  an 
old  egg  crate,  which  any  grocer  will  be  glad  to 
get  rid  of,  will  furnish  you  with  enough  whittling 
material  for  a  long  time. 

The  scale  for  measuring  (Fig.  3)  should  be 
made  first,  as  it  is  the  tool  most  necessary  in 
laying  out  the  other  tools.  One  of  the  thin  strips 
from  the  side  of  the  egg  crate  may  be  used  for 

I 


2        BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

this.  The  outUne  of  the  scale  must  be  drawn  on 
the  wood  with  a  hard  pencil.  A  "6  H"  is  the 
best.  The  "H''  means  ''hard,"  and  the  number 
of  H's  shows  the  degree  of  hardness.  The  pen- 
cil should  be  sharpened  on  both  ends— one  end 


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rubbed  to  a  fine  point  on  sandpaper,  and  the 
other  end  to  a  chisel  point.  The  sharp  point  is  to 
mark,  accurately,  the  points  to  which  lines  are 
to  be  drawn,  and  the  chisel  point  is  to  draw  the 
lines  with.  After  the  outline  is  drawn  it  may 
be  cut. 

First  take  off  a  splinter  or  two  to  determine  the 
direction  of  the  grain,  because  one  long  cut 
against  the  grain  might  spoil  your  work.  When 
this  is  determined,  you  should  cut  down  almost 
to  the  outline,  using  a  long,  free  stroke  from  the 
shoulder  for  the  cutting  in  the  direction  of  the 
grain.  For  the  cross-grained  cutting  at  the  ends, 
the  knife  is  held  in  the  four  fingers,  with  the 


TOOLS  FOR  WHITTLING  3 

thumb  steadying  the  near  side  of  the  wood,  and 
the  cut  is  made  toward  the  thumb.  Only  a  very 
short  cut  may  be  made  at  a  time,  and  then  a  bit 
of  wood  is  chpped  away  so  that  the  next  cut  may 
be  made.  This  cutting,  also,  should  be  done 
near,  but  not  on,  the  line.  After  the  model  is 
roughly  cut  out,  it  should  be  worked  down  very 
carefully  to  the  lines,  the  beveled  edge  cut,  and 
then  sandpapered  smooth  all  over.  The  sand- 
paper must  be  put  over  a  small  block  of  wood,  and 
held  very  flat.  Otherwise  it  will  spoil  a  straight 
surface.  Then  the  graduations  are  to  be  put  on. 
If  nothing  better  is  at  hand,  the  spacing  may  be 
done  with  mother's  tape  measure.  Lay  off  the 
spaces  with  the  pointed  end  of  the  pencil,  and  then 
draw  the  lines  which  show  the  spacing,  making 
those  which  show  the  sixteenths.  Vie''  long;  the 
eighths,  Vs'  long;  the  quarters,  %g''  long;  the 
halves,  ^/ig",  or  the  full  width  of  the  bevel. 
This  must  be  done  with  a  pencil,  for  ink  would 
run  into  the  wood  and  spread.  The  inch  dimen- 
sions should  be  marked  i,  2,  3,  etc.,  and  a  light 
coat  of  shellac  or  varnish  will  add  much  to  the 
durability  of  the  scale.  The  back  edge  of  the 
scale  may  be  used  as  a  straight  edge,  and  to  lay 
the  pencil  against  for  drawing  lines,  but  it  should 
be  remembered  that  the  scale  itself — that  is,  the 


4        BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

graduated  side — must  never  be  used  for  this.     If 
it  were,  the  graduations  would  soon  be  spoiled. 

The  tool  which  is  most  necessary  next  to  the 
scale  IS  the  square  (Fig.  4),  and  this  should  also 
be  made  with  great  accuracy.  It  is  used  to  test 
two  adjoining  edges,  to  see  if  they  are  square 
with  each  other.  In  making  anything  of  wood, 
one  of  the  largest  surfaces  is  generally  made  per- 


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fectly  true,  and  marked  with  a  little  cross  (x), 
designating  it  as  the  "face."  One  of  the  adjoin- 
ing edges — not  a  cross-grained  one — is  also  made 
true  and  square  with  the  first  surface,  and  marked 
with  a  second  cross,  as  the  ''working  edge." 
Then  all  the  other  measuring  and  squaring  is 
done  from  these  two  surfaces. 

The  piece  of  wood  to  be  tested  should  be  held 
in  the  left  hand,  on  a  level  with  the  eye,  and 


TOOLS  FOR  WHITTLING  5 

the  square  held  in  the  right  hand,  with  one  of  the 
inner  edges  resting  against  the  wood,  and  the 
other  projecting  over  it  is  moved  back  and  forth. 
Any  unevenness  in  the  wood  will  readily  be  seen. 
The  outside  edges  of  the  square  may  also  be  used 
for  testing  the  evenness  of  wide  flat  surfaces. 
It  is  made  like  the  pattern,  of  two  strips  of  wood, 
with  a  fitted  joint  glued  together. 

The  knife  strop  shown  in  Fig.  i  is  a  great  help 


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in  whittling,  because  it  will  keep  your  knife  in 
good  condition.  A  piece  of  the  heavier  wood  at 
the  end  of  the  ^gg  crate  may  be  used  for  this.  It 
is  made  from  a  strip  measuring  i^''  wide  by  11" 
long,  and  the  strip  of  leather  (cut  from  a  dis- 
carded razor  strop)  is  glued  on.  The  ]4>''  bevel 
is  continued  all  the  way  around  the  handle  on 
both  sides  to  make  it  fit  the  hand.  The  hole  in 
the  end  is  to  hang  it  up  by,  and  may  be  made 
with  a  hammer  and  nail,  or  with  a  bit  and  brace 
if  you  have  one. 


6        BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

The  pencil  sharpener  (Fig.  2),  is  also  a  very 
necessary  help  in  whittling  and  it  is  very  simple 
to  make.  A  strip  of  thin  wood  i^"x7"  forms 
the  foundation.  This  is  narrowed  down  at  the 
handle  end  to  }i^\  The  curves  may  be  marked 
on  the  outline,  free  hand,  and  in  cutting  you  must 
be  very  careful  to  remember  the  grain  of  the 
wood.     The  curves  at  the  ends  should  be  cut 


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from  each  side  toward  the  middle  of  the  end, 
gradually  working  into  a  crosscut.  The  curves 
at  the  sides  must  be  cut  from  the  wider  part  to- 
ward the  handle,  using  the  point  of  the  knife,  and 
working  with  great  care  so  as  not  to  split  the 
wood.  A  strip  of  sandpaper  i"x3"  is  glued  on 
and  the  sharpener  is  complete. 

With  these  tools  finished  a  boy  is  ready  to  be- 
gin some  real  whittling,  and  make  other  models 
which  will  be  quite  as  useful,  and  very  much  more 
attractive. 


KNIFE-STROP 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  PRACTICAL  WORK- 
BENCH 

A  GOOD  practical  workbench  may  be  made 
by  any  boy  who  can  handle  the  simplest 
tools  and  procure  a  little  suitable  lumber. 

The  lumber  should  be  bought  at  a  lumber  yard, 
in  the  rough,  which  will  cost  a  great  deal  less 
than  finished  boards. 

It  will  require  26  ft.  of  two-by-four  pine  boards, 
12  ft.  of  two-by-six's,  and  27^  ft.  of  one-by-six's. 
The  two-by-four's  cost  one  and  three-quarters 
cents  a  running  foot,  the  two-by-six's  are  two  and 
a  half  cents,  and  the  one-by-six's,  one  and  a  half 
cents.  The  boards  come  in  regular  lengths,  from 
ten  feet  up  to  sixteen,  or  in  some  cases,  up  to 
twenty-four  feet  long.  It  will  be  best  to  get  a 
twenty-four  foot  one-by-six  board  if  possible,  a 
twelve  foot  two-by-six,  one  twelve  foot  and  one 
fourteen  foot  two-by-four.  This  will  make  the 
total  cost  for  boards  one  dollar  and  twelve  cents. 

Aside  from  the  pine  boards  for  the  bench  itself 
it  will  require  a  piece  of  oak  measuring  three  by 
four  inches  and  thirty-four  inches  long,  for  the 

7 


8        BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

bench  vise;  a  screw  and  handle  for  the  vise  (cost- 
ing thirty-five  cents  at  any  hardware  store)  ;  a 
pound  of  four  inch  nails;  and  two  square  headed 
iron  bolts,  one  half  inch  in  diameter  and  four 
inches  long,  each  fitted  with  two  iron  washers 
and  one  square  nut. 

Saw  off,  first,  from  the  twelve  foot  two-by- 
four,  four  pieces  thirty-three  inches  long.  These 
are  the  legs  of  the  bench,  and  they  are  to  stand 
with  their  broad  four-inch  faces  toward  the  ends 
of  the  bench.  Then  cut  in  each  one  of  these 
joints  like  those  shown  in  Fig.  i.  The  sides  in 
which  the  joints  are  cut  face  toward  each  other 
at  the  ends  of  the  bench  and  into  them  is  fitted  the 
supporting  framework. 

For  the  lower  framework  cut  from  the  four- 
teen foot  two-by-four  two  pieces  forty-two  inches 
long  and  four  pieces  nineteen  inches  long.  Two 
of  the  nineteen-inch  pieces  are  to  be  left  as  they 
are,  but  the  other  two  and  the  two  forty-two  inch 
pieces  should  have  joints  cut  at  the  ends  like  Fig. 
2.  These  joints,  as  well  as  the  joints  in  the  up- 
rights, are  cut  with  a  saw,  and  the  wood  is  split 
out  with  a  chisel.  Then  these  four  jointed  pieces 
are  fitted  together  and  glued  or  nailed  to  form  a 
framework  nineteen  by  forty-two  inches.  The 
four  uprights  are  then  fitted  in  place  and  nailed. 


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A  PRACTICAL  WORK-BENCH  ii 

increasing  the  width  of  the  ends  to  twenty-three 
inches.  Then  the  other  two  nineteen-inch  pieces 
are  fitted  into  the  top  of  the  uprights  across  each 
end,  and  nailed  in  place.  Four  braces  (Fig.  3) 
for  the  ends  are  made  from  two  sixteen-inch 
pieces  of  the  one-by-six  stock.  Each  piece  is  first 
cut  in  two,  lengthwise,  with  a  rip  saw.  This 
makes  four  pieces  twenty  inches  long  by  three 
inches  wide.  Mark  the  center  joint  of  each  end 
of  each  piece.  Then  measure  on  both  sides,  from 
each  end,  a  distance  of  one  and  a  half  inches. 
Connect  these  points  with  the  end  points  by  a  line 
and  saw  ofif  the  corners,  leaving  on  each  end  a 
right-angled  point.  The  braces  are  then  nailed 
in  place  as  shown  in  Fig.  4. 

This  finishes  the  body  part  of  the  bench. 
Next,  cut  from  the  one-by-six  board  a  piece  fifty- 
six  inches  long.  Fit  it  across  the  front  of  the 
frame,  just  even,  or  flush  with  the  top,  and  pro- 
jecting seven  inches  beyond  the  uprights  at  either 
end.     Then  nail  in  position. 

Cut  from  the  twelve  foot  two-by-six  board  two 
pieces  fifty-six  inches  long.  Place  one  of  them 
across  the  top  of  the  bench  at  the  extreme  front, 
so  that  it  is  flush  with  the  wide  surface  of  the 
front  board.  Nail  this  to  the  end  framework  and 
nail  the  second  piece  in  position  just  back  of  it. 


12      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

It  is  necessary  for  this  much  of  the  top  to  be 
very  heavy,  for  this  is  where  the  heavy  strain  of 
the  work  will  come.  The  remainder  of  the  top 
is  made  of  two  strips  of  one-by-six  wood.  In 
order  to  make  this  even  with  the  two  front  strips 
which  are  thicker  it  is  necessary  to  put  pieces 
underneath  it  at  each  end.  For  these  cut  a  piece 
of  one-by-six  board  twelve  inches  long  and  rip  it 
in  two.  Place  these  strips  along  the  end  frame, 
then  place  the  top  boards  on  them  and  nail  all  in 
position.  When  this  is  done  the  whole  top  of  the 
bench  may  be  made  partially  smooth,  if  it  is  de- 
sired, with  a  jack  plane.  Then  cut  one  more 
strip  of  one-by-six  fifty-six  inches  long  and  nail 
across  the  back  of  the  bench,  allowing  it  to  project 
three  inches  above  the  top. 

The  vise,  as  it  comes  from  the  store,  consists  of 
a  long,  straight,  square-headed  screw  about  an 
inch  in  diameter,  which  ends  in  a  round  iron 
plate  and  a  T-shaped  pipe.  The  plate  is  loose  but 
not  removable.  Through  the  T  a  long  wooden 
handle  fits.  Beside  this  there  is  an  elliptical  plate 
holding  a  threaded  pipe  which  the  screw  works 
in.  To  put  it  together,  first  make  a  piece  from 
the  remaining  two-by-six  like  Fig.  5.  This  piece 
forms  the  inner  side  of  the  vise  and  fits  inside  of 


A  PRACTICAL  WORK-BENCH  13 

the  front  piece  of  the  bench,  just  touching  the 
under  side  of  the  top,  and  outside  of  the  lower 
framework.  Its  edge  should  be  four  inches  in 
from  tlie  front  leg  of  the  bench.  Corresponding 
holes  are  made  with  a  bit  and  brace  in  the  front 
piece  of  the  bench  and  counter-sunk  a  half  inch. 
The  two  pieces  are  then  bolted  together,  the  heads 
of  the  bolts  and  the  iron  washer  fitting  down  in 
the  counter-sink,  and  the  other  washer  being 
placed  under  the  nut  on  the  other  side.  The  re- 
ceptacle for  the  vise  screw  is  fastened  in  position 
through  the  back  of  Fig.  5. 

Next,  the  piece  of  oak  is  prepared  for  the  vise 
jaw.  It  is  slanted  off  at  the  ends  like  Fig.  6,  the 
outer  edges  rounded,  a  hole  somewhat  larger  than 
the  vise  screw  cut  through  as  shown,  and  a  joint 
cut  through  with  chisel  and  hammer  near  the  bot- 
tom. Into  this  joint  fit  Fig.  7,  a  piece  of  wood 
one  by  four  inches  and  twelve  inches  long,  which 
is  intended  to  keep  the  jaws  of  the  vise  approx- 
imately even.  It  fits  into  the  oak  with  a  drive  fit 
and  has  holes  zigzagged  or  '^staggered"  across  it 
into  which  a  round  peg  three  inches  fits.  By 
placing  this  peg  in  different  holes  the  bottom 
opening  of  the  vise  may  be  adjusted  to  correspond 
with  the  desired  top  opening. 


14      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

The  long  screw  of  the  vise  is  sHpped  through 
the  hole  made  for  it,  and  the  plate  is  screwed  in 
place. 


lYor^  Bench    ComroCe^e,. 

This  completes  a  bench  which  will  prove  a  great 
help  to  the  boy  workman,  and  which  takes 
scarcely  more  time  in  making  than  it  has  in  de- 
scribing. 


WORKBENCH  ACCESSORIES 

WHEN  you  have  made  yourself  this  fine,  big 
workbench  you  will  find  out  very  soon 
that  there  are  a  number  of  workbench  accesso- 
ries which  will  make  it  much  more  convenient  and 
desirable. 

The  first  thing  that  will  be  missed  is  a  tool 
rack.  With  tools  scattered  all  over  the  bench  it 
is  difficult  to  do  good  work.  It  means  a  waste 
of  time  and  sometimes  a  waste  of  temper,  while, 
if  the  tools  are  hanging  right  before  one's  eyes 
in  an  orderly  row,  each  one  may  be  taken  as  it  is 
needed,  and  replaced  again  when  one  is  through, 
and  the  work  will  go  on  smoothly. 

A  single  pine  board  six  inches  wide,  one  inch 
thick  and  sixteen  feet  long  will  make  all  the  ac- 
cessories one  can  want.  It  is  better  to  procure  a 
finished  board  from  the  planing  mill.  It  will  cost 
three  or  four  cents  a  running  foot — a  total  cost  at 
the  most  of  sixty-four  cents. 

For  the  tool  rack  cut  from  the  board  two  fifty-six- 
inch  lengths.  Cut  one  of  these  in  two  lengthwise 
with  a  rip  saw  and  plane  the  sawed  edge  smooth 

IS 


1 6      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

and  square  with  the  face  or  wide,  flat  side  of  the 
board.  With  a  pencil  and  scale  mark  the  posi- 
tions on  the  centers  of  the  holes  shown  in  Fig.  i. 
Then  when  the  centers  have  been  determined, 
drill  them  according  to  the  sizes  indicated,  with  a 
bit  and  brace.  The  first  three  holes  at  the  left 
are  to  hold  bits;  the  next  two,  chisel  and  gouge, 
and  the  others  are  for  screw-drivers.  These 
latter  four,  after  the  holes  are  drilled,  are  made 
open  clear  to  the  edge  of  the  rack  by  sawing  out 
a  section  from  the  front.  This  makes  it  pos- 
sible to  take  the  tools  out  without  lifting  them  en- 
tirely out  of  the  rack.  From  the  right-hand  end 
mark  off  a  distance  of  twelve  inches.  Then, 
from  the  end  to  this  line,  cut  two  grooves  as 
shown  in  the  drawiilg.  The  forward  one  is 
rounded  out  with  a  gouge  to  hold  a  pencil  while 
the  back  one  is  square  and  flat,  cut  with  a  chisel, 
to  hold  either  a  twelve-inch  scale  or  a  folded  two- 
foot  rule.  In  the  front  edge  of  this  piece,  about 
six  inches  from  the  right-hand  end  is  driven  a 
nail  to  hold  the  claw  hammer. 

The  fifty-six-inch  length  which  was  not  ripped 
in  two  is  fitted  at  right  angles  to  the  back  of  this 
rack,  lapping  over  the  edge  and  flush  with  the 
top.  It  is  nailed  in  position  and  two  supporting 
brackets  like  Fig.  2  are  fitted  under  each  end  of 


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[17] 


1 8      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

the  rack  for  strength.  When  this  is  all  fastened 
together,  the  whole  rack  is  set  up  on  top  of  the 
back  pieces  of  the  workbench  and  held  in  place 
by  two  cleats,  three  inches  by  eight  which  are 
screwed  to  both  the  back  piece  of  the  bench  and 
the  back  piece  of  the  rack. 

Underneath  the  holes  for  the  bits  there  should 
be  two  nails  to  hold  the  brace.  The  jack  plane, 
block  plane,  and  spoke  shave  may  stand  on  the 
bench  underneath  the  rack,  and  screws  or  nails 
at  the  end  of  the  bench  will  hold  rip  saw,  cross- 
cut saw,  and  dust  brush. 

Next  in  usefulness  is  the  bench  block  shown  in 
Fig.  3.  For  this  cut  one  piece  of  wood  six  inches 
by  eleven,  and  two  pieces,  six  inches  by  two 
inches.  All  these  pieces  must  have  the  grain 
running  in  the  longest  direction.  When  these 
are  trued  up,  fit  them  together  as  shown,  and 
fasten  with  one-and-three-quarter-inch  wood 
screws.  After  completing  this  the  corners  are 
cut  off.  The  block  fits  over  the  front  edge  of  the 
bench  near  the  right-hand  end  and  forms  a  brace 
when  one  wants  to  hold  a  piece  of  wood  steady 
for  sawing. 

Next  comes  the  bench  stop,  Fig.  4.  When  one 
is  planing  a  wide,  flat  board  the  vise  is  useless. 
So  holes  are  drilled  in  pairs  in  the  top  of  the 


WORK-BENCH  ACCESSORIES  19 

bench  itself,  and  these  bench  stops  are  shpped  in 
to  form  a  buffer.  A  Httle  piece  of  wood  one  by 
one  by  two  is  used,  the  grain  of  course  running 
the  long  way.  For  half  of  the  distance  the  stop 
remains  square,  while  the  other  inch  is  rounded 
with  a  chisel  to  fit  into  the  hole,  which  should  be 
slightly  more  than  an  inch  deep.  Two  of  these 
stops  will  be  needed. 

Every  workbench  needs  a  nail  box.  A  good 
one  may  be  made  from  two  pieces  three  inches 
wide  by  fourteen  inches  long,  which  form  the 
sides,  two  ends  three  inches  by  three,  and  a  bot- 
tom piece  five  inches  by  fourteen.  The  side  pieces 
are  nailed  to  the  end  pieces,  fitting  over  them,  and 
the  bottom  fits  over  all.  This  makes  the  inside 
measurements  three  inches  by  twelve.  Of  course 
it  is  desirable  to  keep  the  different  sizes  of  nails 
separate,  so  this  is  divided  into  as  many  compart- 
ments as  are  desired  by  partitions.  These  can  be 
made  from  any  old  piece  of  wood  about  a  half 
inch  thick.  They  measure  three  by  three  inches 
and  may  be  spaced  however  you  like,  except  the 
one  which  is  shown  in  Fig.  5.  This  is  to  be 
placed  in  the  middle  and  forms  a  handle  as  well 
as  a  partition.  Just  as  convenient,  though  not 
quite  as  necessary,  is  a  miter  box.  It  consists  of 
two  side  pieces  five  inches  by  twelve,  and  one  bot- 


20      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

torn  piece  four  inches  by  twelve.  The  side  pieces 
fit  down  over  the  edges  of  the  bottom  piece  and 
are  nailed  fast.  There  are  no  ends.  When  this 
much  is  done,  take  a  forty-five  degree  triangle, 
and  mark  across  the  two  top  edges  one  perpen- 
dicular line,  and  one  forty-five  degree  line  in  each 
direction,  making  them  so  that  they  do  not  over- 
lap. Then  saw  straight  down  from  these  lines 
to  the  bottom  piece.  A  miter  box  will  prove 
itself  a  great  convenience  in  sawing  the  corners 
of  molding  or  anything  which  requires  a  fitted 
corner.  The  piece  to  be  sawed  is  held  firmly  in 
the  box  and  the  saw  guided  through  the  slots. 

When  a  boy  has  made  the  bench  and  all  these 
accessories,  and  has  some  tools,  he  will  be 
equipped  for  big  practical  work. 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  TURNING  LATHE 

MOST  boys  have  a  speaking  acquaintance 
with  a  turning  lathe.  Some  boys  know 
how  to  use  one  with  good  results.  But  to  use 
one  and  own  it  too — that  is  a  joy  which  few  boys 
experience. 

After  all,  though,  a  lathe  is  not  such  a  for- 
midable machine,  and  if  a  boy  is  quick  at  catch- 
ing an  idea  and  working  it  out  he  can  make  one 
for  himself. 

Most  of  the  material  can  be  procured  from 
some  machine  shop  at  practically  no  cost,  and  the 
parts  that  have  to  be  bought  outright  will  cost 
very  little. 

The  foundation  may  be  an  old  sewing-machine 
stand  and  the  lathe  is  run,  just  as  a  sewing  ma- 
chine is,  by  foot  power.  In  almost  any  junk  shop 
or  second  hand  shop  you  will  find  an  old  out-of- 
date  sewing  machine  for  sale.  New  machines 
can  be  bought  so  cheaply  nowadays  that  a  sec- 
ond hand  one  costs  next  to  nothing. 

When  you  have  procured  this  you  must  take  it 
to  pieces.     The  wooden  top  part  is  fastened  to  the 

21 


22      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

iron  frame  by  screws  from  underneath.  Take 
these  out,  and  the  top  and  drawer  at  the  sides 
may  be  Hfted  right  off.  Then  take  out  the  screw 
at  the  right  hand  side  of  the  machine  part  and 
slip  off  the  upper  belt  wheel.  This  upper  belt 
wheel,  the  belt,  the  lower  belt  wheel,  and  the  iron 
framework  of  the  machine  are  all  that  will  be 
needed  for  the  lathe,  and  the  rest  you  may  discard, 
or  put  away  in  the  ''handy"  pile  for  some  future 
construction.  The  lower  belt  wheel  is  of  course 
fastened  to  the  frame,  so  that  does  not  need  to  be 
disturbed. 

Next  get  a  piece  of  hickory  or  some  other  hard 
wood  twelve  inches  wide,  three  feet  long  and  one- 
and-one-half  inches  thick.  Cut  a  long,  narrow 
slot  in  this  from  one  end  as  is  shown  in  Fig.  i. 
Then  fasten  this  piece  to  the  top  of  the  iron  frame 
with  the  same  screws  that  fastened  the  top  of  the 
machine  on  before.  The  solid  end  of  the  wood 
should  project  two  inches  beyond  the  right-hand 
end  of  the  frame  where  the  belt  is,  and  the 
slotted  end  will  of  course  extend  somewhat  be- 
yond the  frame  at  the  left.  This  is  what  is  called 
the  "bed"  of  the  lathe.  Now  bore  the  two  holes 
which  the  belt  goes  through. 

When  this  is  done,  measure  the  hole  in  the 
center  of  the  upper  belt  wheel,  where  the  shaft 


MAKING  A  TURNING  LATHE         23 

went  through.  It  will  probably  be  one  half  inch 
in  diameter.  Then  get  a  piece  of  gas  pipe  twelve 
inches  long  and  of  the  same  diameter,  outside 
measurement,  as  the  hole,  so  that  the  wheel  may 
be  put  on  it  with  a  "drive  fit."  This  simply 
means  that  the  wheel  fits  so  tightly  that  it  must 
be  driven  on  and,  once  on,  it  will  not  turn.  It 
should  be  driven  on  far  enough  so  that  when  the 
groove  for  the  belt  is  in  line  with  the  groove  on 
the  lower  belt  wheel,  the  pipe  will  project  the  half 
inch  beyond  the  solid  end  of  the  bed. 

Now  you  must  make  two  supports,  or  "head 
blocks"  for  this.  Cut  from  two-inch-thick  hard 
wood  two  pieces  like  Fig.  2.  The  square  hole  is 
for  the  gas  pipe  to  go  through  and  must  have  a 
bearing  fitted  into  it.  Of  course  it  would  be 
easier  to  cut  just  a  round  hole  slightly  larger  than 
the  pipe  for  it  to  turn  in,  but  this  bearing,  with 
much  turning,  would  wear  loose.  So  a  one-inch 
square  hole  is  cut;  the  gas  pipe,  with  a  piece  of 
newspaper  wrapped  around  it,  is  held  in  the  exact 
center  of  the  hole,  the  head  block  standing  up- 
right; and  melted  Babbitt  metal  is  poured  down 
through  the  hole  in  the  top  of  the  block.  To  do 
this  pieces  of  cardboard  should  be  fitted  over  the 
pipe  and  tacked  to  either  side  of  the  block,  so 
that  the  space  inside  is  like  a  mold.     The  metal 


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Diagrams  of  a  Turning  Lathe. 


[24] 


MAKING  A  TURNING  LATHE         25 

which  remains  in  the  top  hole  forms  a  key  to  hold 
it.  The  Babbitt  metal  may  be  bought  at  a  hard- 
ware store  in  small  bars  and  melted  in  a  kettle  in 
the  fire.  It  hardens  quickly  and  when  hard,  the 
pipe  may  be  removed,  the  paper  taken  off  and  you 
will  have  a  permanent,  durable  bearing. 

Slip  one  of  these  head  blocks  on  the  pipe  from 
each  end,  with  an  iron  washer  on  each  side  of 
each  block.  The  right  hand  block  should  be 
''flush"  with  the  end  of  the  bed,  the  pipe  project- 
ing a  half  inch  beyond  it.  The  other  block 
should  be  spaced  two  inches  back  from  the  ends 
of  the  slot  in  the  bed.  The  blocks  are  fastened 
to  the  bed  with  long  wood  screws  which  come  up 
through  the  bed  from  underneath,  and  they  are 
held  in  position  on  the  gas  pipe  by  making  ''prick 
punch"  holes  through  the  pipe  close  to  the  wash- 
ers and  using  either  "cotter  pins"  or  bent  wire 
through  these.  Then  the  end  of  the  pipe,  which 
projects  over  the  slot  should  be  filed  so  that  it  has 
four  points,  or  teeth.  This  completes  the  head 
of  the  lathe,  and  is  much  the  most  complicated 
part. 

The  rest  of  the  lathe  consists  of  a  "tail  block" 
and  a  tool  rest,  both  of  which  are  adjustable  to 
any  position  desired.  Fig.  3  shows  the  tail  block. 
Like  the  head  blocks,  it  is  made  of  two-inch  thick 


26      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

stock.  The  bottom  of  it  is  cut  to  slide  back  and 
forth  in  the  slot.  Just  underneath  it,  on  the 
under  side  of  the  bed,  is  a  piece  of  wood  four 
inches  by  two  inches  and  one-inch  thick  which  is 
fastened  to  the  tail  block  by  a  screw  through  the 
center  and  which  clamps  the  block  in  position  at 
any  required  distance.  At  the  point  marked  'T" 
a  "lag"  screw,  which  is  simply  a  wood  screw  with 
a  sharp  point  and  a  large  flat  head,  is  screwed 
through  the  block.  The  piece  of  wood  to  be 
turned  is  held  in  place  by  this  lag  screw  and  the 
filed  teeth  on  the  gas  pipe. 

The  pieces  of  the  tool  rest  are  shown  in  Fig.  4 
and  Fig.  5.  Fig.  6  shows  it  as  it  looks  when  it 
is  put  together  in  place  on  the  bed  of  the  lathe. 

Fig.  4  shows  the  tool  rest  itself — that  is,  the 
part  upon  which  the  chisel  or  gouge  is  steadied 
for  cutting.  This  is  fastened  upright  upon  the 
end  of  Fig.  5,  which  is  a  standard  which  extends 
across  the  bed  and  is  clamped  in  place,  as  the  tail 
block  is,  to  a  block  underneath,  except  that,  in- 
stead of  being  screwed,  it  is  fastened  with  a  three- 
eighth  inch  bolt  and  nut. 

Fig.  7  shows  the  whole  lathe  "assembled,"  or 
put  together  with  each  part  marked  according  to 
its  figure  numbers  so  that  you  can  see  just  how  it 
goes. 


MAKING  A  TURNING  LATHE         27 


F,a    7 


All  the  material  it  has  required  has  been : 

One  old  sewing  machine. 

About  fifty  cents'  worth  of  hard  wood. 

One  three-inch  lag  screw. 


28      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

One  three-eighths-inch  bolt  five  inches  long, 

with  nut  and  washer. 
Four  iron  washers  for  gas  pipe. 
One  foot  of  gas  pipe. 
Seven  three-inch  wood  screws. 
A  few  cents'  worth  of  Babbitt  metal. 

The  result  is  a  good  practical  lathe  on  which 
anything  up  to  eight  inches  in  diameter  and 
twenty-one  inches  long  may  be  turned;  and  I 
think  you'll  all  agree  that  it  was  well  worth  the 
making. 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  TOY  TRAIN 

CLEAR  the  track  there!  Push  the  crib 
over  in  the  corner.  Pick  up  those  blocks. 
Shove  the  doll's  house  and  blackboard  out  of  the 
way.  Hurry  and  put  the  old  red  candy  lantern 
out  of  sight.  We  don't  want  any  danger  sig- 
nals here.  The  Twentieth  Century  Limited — 
the  Fast  Special  of  the  play  room — is  coming. 

The  construction  of  the  Twentieth  Century 
Limited  follows  close  upon  the  making  of  zvJiit- 
tling  tools.  A  little  train  it  is,  just  an  engine, 
coal  car,  baggage  car,  and  one  passenger  coach, 
but  of  course  there  may  be  any  number  of  addi- 
tional cars  coupled  on,  provided  the  train  proves 
popular  and  the  nursery  traffic  is  heavy.  The 
train  is  made  from  cigar  boxes.  The  floor  of  the 
engine  is  made  from  a  flat  piece  of  wood,  two 
inches  wide  by  four  and  one-half  inches  long,  cut 
perfectly  true  and  then  pointed  at  one  end  (Fig. 
i).  Then  the  cab  is  made.  Fig.  2  shows  the 
front  of  it — a  piece  of  wood  measuring  two  inches 
by  one  and  three-quarters,  and  having  two  little 
holes  three-eighths  of  an  inch  scjuare  cut  for  win- 

29 


30      BOYS'  xMAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

dows.  The  side  pieces  are  an  inch  and  a  quarter 
by  two  inches,  cut  in  the  shape  of  Fig.  3,  and  each 
has  one  Httle  window.  The  roof  is  an  oblong 
piece  two  inches  by  one  and  a  half.  When  the 
whole  cab  has  been  nailed  together,  it  is  placed  in 
position  on  the  floor  of  the  engine,  about  a  quar- 
ter of  an  inch  from  the  rear  end,  and  nailed  there. 
For  the  boiler  you  can  use  one  of  mother's  bast- 
ing thread  spools.  Chip  off  the  ends,  making 
them  even  with  the  part  where  the  thread  was 
wound,  and  then  nail  it  to  the  floor  from  under- 
neath. A  spot  on  the  upper  side  of  the  boiler  is 
smoothed  off,  and  a  tiny  spool  is  glued  on  for  a 
smoke  stack.  The  forward  wheels  are  made 
from  circular  pieces  an  inch  in  diameter,  and  the 
"drivers''  from  pieces  an  inch  and  a  half  in  di- 
ameter. Then  there  are  bearings  for  the  wheels, 
like  Fig.  4,  those  for  the  smaller  wheels  being  an 
inch  long,  and  those  for  the  larger  wheels  three- 
quarters  of  an  inch  in  length.  They  are  glued 
to  each  side  of  the  floor  piece  and  the  axles,  made 
from  lollypop  sticks,  are  slipped  through.  These 
are  cut  three  inches  long,  which  allows  plenty  of 
room  for  the  wheels  to  turn,  and  for  a  little  nail 
to  be  put  through  like  a  cotter  pin,  to  hold  them 
on. 

The  coal  car  floor  measures  two  inches  square, 


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[32] 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  TOY  TRAIN       ^^ 

the  sides  two  inches  by  one,  and  the  ends  one  and 
three-quarters  by  one.  These  are  nailed  together 
to  form  a  httle  box,  and  four  wheels  and  bearings 
like  the  forward  ones  on  the  engine  are  made. 
The  couplings  are  made  from  little  round  brass 
hooks,  the  one  on  the  forward  end  of  each  car  be- 
ing horizontal,  and  the  one  in  the  rear  end  per- 
pendicular. 

The  baggage  car  is  a  triumph  of  whittling,  for 
it  has  a  door  that  will  slide  back  and  forth  just 
like  a  real  one.  The  bottom  and  top  of  the  car 
are  oblong  pieces  of  wood  tw^o  inches  by  four  and 
a  half,  and  the  end  pieces  measure  two  by  two 
and  a  quarter  inches.  The  sides  are  made  like 
Fig"-  5,  with  an  opening  an  inch  and  a  quarter 
square  for  a  doorway.  On  the  inside  of  the  side 
pieces,  extending  to  within  a  half  inch  of  each 
end,  and  starting  about  an  eighth  of  an  inch  from 
the  top  a  groove  is  cut,  the  depth  of  the  groove 
being  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch.  The  door  it- 
self is  one  and  thirteen-sixteenths  inches  high  by 
two  inches  wide,  and  has  two  very  small,  flat- 
headed,  wood  screws,  screwed  in  near  the  top  at 
an  angle,  so  that  the  heads  rest  in  this  groove, 
and  slide  back  and  forth.  Above  the  door  is  a 
strip  of  wood  an  eighth  of  an  inch  wide,  and  out- 
side of  this  another  strip  a  quarter  of  an  inch 


34      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

wide,  both  of  which  are  nailed  in  position,  and 
keep  the  door  from  shpping  out  of  the  groove. 
Another  screw  forms  a  handle  for  the  door,  and 
when  the  car  is  put  together  it  is  not  at  all  ap- 
parent how  the  door  slides.  Fig.  6  is  a  section 
cut  through  the  side,  above  the  doorway,  and 
shows  the  groove  and  how  the  strips  are  put  on. 
For  the  passenger  car  the  floor  is  made  first — 
like  Fig.  7 — the  car  floor  itself  measuring  two 
inches  by  four  and  one-half,  with  a  projection  one 
inch  by  five-eighths  at  each  end  for  a  platform. 
The  sides  of  the  car  (Fig.  8),  are  two  inches  by 
four  and  a  half,  with  three  holes  one  inch  wide  by 
three-quarters  high  for  Pullman  windows.  The 
ends  of  the  car  are  like  Fig.  9.  They  are  slipped 
over  the  platforms,  the  space  one  and  one  quar- 
ter inch  by  a  half  inch  forming  a  doorway  and 
the  lower  ends  extending  below  the  platform  to 
form  the  side  of  the  steps.  The  end  of  the  plat- 
form is  a  piece  measuring  one  inch  by  two  inches, 
and  is  nailed  in  position  so  that  the  lower  edge 
of  it  is  even  with  the  lower  edge  of  the  side  pieces, 
the  remainder  of  it  extending  above  the  platform 
for  a  railing.  There  are  two  steps  on  each  side 
at  each  end — eight  steps  in  all.  The  bottom  ones 
measure  a  quarter  of  an  inch  wide  and  three- 
quarters  of  an  inch  long,  while  the  upper  ones  are 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  TOY  TRAIN       35 

the  same  width,  but  only  a  half  inch  long,  for  they 
have  to  fit  in  between  the  ends  of  the  car,  and  the 
ends  of  the  platform.  The  roof  of  the  car  is  like 
Fig.  10 — a  piece  two  inches  by  six  and  one-half 
inches  with  rounded  ends,  extending  well  over 
the  platforms.  Both  the  passenger  and  baggage 
cars  have  wheels  exactly  hke  the  coal  car. 
When  these  are  done  the  train  is  coupled,  and 
away  she  speeds.  ''Clear  the  track  there!  The 
Twentieth  Century  Limited  is  just  pulling  into 
Chicago,  and  she  has  made  the  trip  from  New 
York  in  eighteen  hours." 


OUT-DOOR  TOYS 

THIS  set  of  whittled  out-door  toys  ought  to 
please  almost  any  boy.  With  kite  and  fish 
line  time  coming  soon  and  the  wind  blowing  a 
gale  for  your  weather  vane,  and  the  other  fellows 
out  ready  to  play  *'cat'' — well,  let's  see  how  to 
make  all  these  toys. 

The  kite  stick  in  Fig.  i  is  made  from  a  piece  of 
pine  wood  eight  inches  long,  and,  roughly  cut 
out,  about  three-quarters  of  an  inch  square. 
This  is  smoothed  down  to  five-eighths  of  an  inch, 
and  then  you  start  in  to  make  it  round.  First 
the  four  corners  of  the  square  are  trimmed  off 
evenly  for  the  full  length,  making  it  an  eight- 
sided  stick,  and  then  these  corners  are  again 
trimmed,  until  finally  the  stick  is  round  enough  to 
be  sandpapered  smooth.  It  is  better  to  draw  a 
five-eighth  inch  circle  on  each  end  of  the  stick  be- 
fore you  trim  it  down,  so  that  you  can  see  whether 
you  are  making  a  true  round.  When  the  line  for 
the  bevel  is  marked  around  one-eighth  of  an  inch 
from  the  ends,  the  bevel  is  cut,  the  notch  is  cut 

37 


38      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

around  the  middle,  and  the  stick  is  ready  to  tie 
your  kite  string  to. 

For  the  reel  in  Fig.  2  and  also  the  weather  vane 
in  Fig.  7,  it  is  better  to  select  a  piece  of  wood 
which  is  already  "dressed'' — that  is,  finished 
smooth  to  the  thickness  you  require,  because  it  is 
hard  to  make  a  broad  surface  true  with  a  jack 
knife.  Cigar  boxes  are  three-sixteenths  of  an 
inch  thick,  and  a  piece  of  one  will  make  a  good, 
stout  reel.  In  making  all  of  these  toys,  the  pat- 
tern should  be  drawn  on  the  wood  as  far  as  pos- 
sible with  pencil,  scale,  and  straight  edge,  before 
any  cutting  is  done.  The  reel  should  be  cut  first 
into  an  oblong,  two  and  a  quarter  inches  by  four 
and  a  quarter,  then  the  corners  are  rounded  so 
that  the  line  will  not  catch  on  them,  and  lastly 
the  "recessed  edge''  where  the  line  is  to  be  wound 
is  made,  cutting  from  each  end  of  the  opening  to- 
ward the  center,  and  gradually  working  it  down 
even. 

There  are  not  many  boys  who  don't  know  how 
to  play  "cat."  It  requires  a  good  deal  of  skill, 
and  if  you  don't  break  anybody's  window  or  put 
out  anybody's  eye,  it's  a  lot  of  fun.  It  requires 
two  boys  to  play  this  game.  You  lay  the  cat 
down  flat — as  in  Fig.  3 — and,  with  the  stick  (Fig. 
4),  held  by  the  octagonal  end,  hit  the  cat  sharply 


• 


(a)  whittled  weather  vane,      (b)   kite  stick: 

FISH    LINE.        (C)     "cat"    STICK 


'CAT 


REEL     FOR 


HI 


5  * 


6"  

no  / 


<    >\' 

X 

. ^' ^ 

J 


^i 


/2' 


3? 


H^ 


2^ 


/S 


5" 


5?^-n< 


4 


T/G.  ij: 


w-f 


Diagrams  of  a  Kite  Stick.  Reel,  "Cat,"  "Cat"  Stick,  and 
Weather  Vane. 

[39] 


T^ 


1 


l" 


z^ 


^  Q 


F^/Cr.    G. 


H- 


6i 


/=>cy  t: 


51015 


^ 


•i' 


Diagrams  of  a  Weather  Vane. 


[40] 


OUT-DOOR  TOYS  41 

on  one  end,  and  as  it  flies  up  bat  it  forward.  It 
is  up  to  the  other  fellow  to  catch  it,  and  if  he  does, 
it  counts  you  out,  and  gives  him  a  turn.  But  if 
he  doesn't  catch  it,  you  measure  with  the  stick, 
end  over  end  from  where  you  stand  to  where  the 
cat  has  fallen,  and  that  counts  so  many  points  for 
you.  Then  the  other  fellow  has  another  chance 
to  count  you  out  by  throwing  the  cat  from  where 
it  fell  and  trying  to  hit  your  stick.  If  it  falls 
short  or  goes  beyond,  you  again  measure  the  dis- 
tance with  your  stick,  and  that  too  counts  in  your 
favor. 

The  cat  is  made  from  a  piece  of  pine  four 
inches  long  and  an  inch  square.  The  center  sec- 
tion is  marked  off  and  then  a  line  is  drawn  ex- 
actly across  the  middle  of  each  end — not  diago- 
nally, but  straight  up  and  down.  The  sides  are 
slanted  down  to  this  line,  like  a  wedge,  and  then 
the  other  two  sides  are  slanted  to  the  middle  point 
at  each  end.  The  wood  for  the  stick  is  twelve 
inches  long  and  five-eighths  of  an  inch  square,  and 
is  worked  down  just  as  the  kite  stick  was,  except 
that  the  handle  is  left  eight  sided,  while  the  rest 
is  made  round.  The  octagon  and  circle  which 
are  shown  with  parallel  diagonal  lines  on  them 
are  ''cross  sections"  and  show  what  the  stick 


42      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

would  look  like  if  it  were  cut  straight  through  at 
that  point. 

The  weather  vane  is  the  hardest  toy  to  make. 
Fig.  5  shows  three  views  of  one  piece  of  the  wheel 
— a  top  view,  a  front  view,  and  an  end  view, — 
just  as  though  you  looked  at  the  piece  in  front  and 
then  squarely  at  the  top,  and  then  turned  it 
around  and  looked  at  the  end.  A  piece  of  wood 
three-quarters  of  an  inch  square  by  five  inches 
long  is  used  for  this,  and  two  of  them  are  made 
and  fitted  together — making  a  wheel  with  four 
arms.  It  is  better  to  cut  the  section  for  the  joint 
first,  for  the  wood  is  less  apt  to  split  before  it  has 
been  weakened  by  any  other  cutting.  This  is  a 
similar  cutting  to  that  in  the  reel,  except  that  the 
grain  lies  in  the  opposite  direction,  and  the  cut- 
ting should  be  done  from  the  center  of  the  open- 
ing toward  each  end.  Then  opposite  corners  are 
slanted  down  so  that  the  ends  of  the  arms  are 
thin  and  aslant  to  catch  the  wind,  as  the  end  view 
shows.  The  dotted  lines  are  the  edges  which  are 
not  visible.  After  the  two  pieces  are  fitted  to- 
gether a  two-inch  nail  is  driven  through  both 
and  into  the  end  of  Fig.  6,  which  is  not  beveled. 
It  should  be  turned  around  until  it  works  loosely 
and  will  turn  easily  in  the  wind. 

The  stick  in  Fig.  6  is  seven  and  three-eighths 


OUT-DOOR  TOYS  43 

inches  long  by  a  half  inch  square.  After  the 
section  three-quarters  of  an  inch  long,  where  the 
nail  hole  is  shown,  and  which  remains  square,  is 
marked  off,  the  rest  of  the  stick  is  made  eight 
sided.  Then  the  eight-inch  bevel  shown  on  the 
end  is  cut,  and,  for  a  distance  of  two  and  a  half 
inches  from  that  end,  a  V-shaped  groove  is  cut 
on  two  opposite  sides.  This  end  of  the  stick  is  to 
slide  into  the  opening  in  the  end  of  the  wing 
(Fig.  7).  Another  two-inch  nail  joins  this  piece 
to  the  upright  stick  (Fig.  8)  and  forms  a  pivot 
for  it  to  swing  around  on.  The  wing  is  a  flat 
piece  six  and  a  half  inches  long  by  two  and  a 
half  wide.  The  curves  are  laid  out  with  a  com- 
pass (R.  in  the  measurements  denotes  radius) 
and  the  2>^ ''-opening  is  made  as  shown  in  one 
end.  The  little  cross-section  shows  how  it  is  cut 
to  a  pointed  edge  which  slides  into  the  groove  in 
Fig.  6. 

The  upright  stick  is  nine  inches  long  by  three- 
quarters  of  an  inch  square,  and  is  worked  down 
similarly  to  the  other  sticks,  except  that  the  end 
which  is  round  is  tapered  from  three-quarters  to 
one-half  inch.  The  ''break"  in  the  drawing  sim- 
ply means  that  it  is  longer  than  is  actually  shown. 
When  the  windmill  is  fitted  together  and  put  out 
where  it  will  catch  the  wind,  a  boy  will  find  that 
it  was  well  worth  making. 


HOW  TO  MAKE  YOUR  OWN  DESK 
SET 

A  DESK  set  is  a  great  addition  to  a  boy's 
desk.  If  he  has  a  pen  tray  he  knows  where 
his  pencils  and  pens  are  to  be  found  without 
rummaging  through  a  tangled  mess  of  top 
strings  and  marble  bags  and  nails.  If  he  puts 
away  on  the  bill  file  that  /  Owe  You  that  Billy 
Smith  gave  him  for  a  pair  of  rabbits,  it  won't  be 
all  crumpled  up  and  beyond  identification  when 
Billy  gets  his  next  month's  allowance.  When 
you  come  to  think  of  it,  a  desk  set  has  a  great 
many  advantages — and  then,  there's  the  fun  of 
making  it. 

The  desk  set  which  is  shown  in  the  picture 
comprises  five  pieces — an  ink  well  stand,  a  bill 
file,  a  pen  tray,  an  envelope  opener,  and  a  book 
rack.  It  is  all,  with  the  exception  of  the  envelope 
opener,  made  of  one-eighth-inch  basswood. 

For  the  ink  well  stand  (Fig.  i)  use  a  piece  of 
wood,  four  inches  square.  The  two-and-a-half- 
inch  opening — which  is  the  size  of  the  average 
glass  ink  well — should  be  cut  first,  before  the 

45 


46      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

corners  are  weakened  by  cutting  out  the  half- 
inch  rounds.  After  this  is  done,  cut  the  corners, 
and  last,  the  eight-inch  bevel.  Fig.  2  shows 
one  of  the  feet  of  the  ink  well.  It  is  shown,  by 
dotted  lines,  in  position  in  Fig.  i.  The  four  feet 
are  glued  to  the  bottom  of  Fig.  i  and  the  inside 
corners  project  inside  the  opening,  making  four 
half-inch  squares  on  which  the  ink  well  may  rest. 
The  feet  are  made  from  pieces  of  wood  one  and 
seven-eighths  inches  square,  cut  in  the  shape 
shown,  and  ornamented  with  a  little  design  in 
"chip''  carving.  This  chip  carving  is  ordinarily 
done  with  what  is  called  a  skew  chisel — that  is, 
a  chisel  which  is  not  square  at  the  end,  but  which 
has  one  point  an  eighth  of  an  inch  or  more  longer 
than  the  other,  so  that  when  it  is  put  into  the 
wood,  one  end  of  the  cut  will  be  deep  while  the 
other  is  barely  cut  out  at  all.  However,  it  may 
be  done  with  a  jack  knife,  if  you  are  very  careful. 
In  the  "motif"  shown  in  Fig.  2,  the  points  where 
the  three  lines  from  adjoining  corners  meet  are 
where  the  deepest  part  of  the  cuts  should  be. 
This  is  done  with  the  knife  held  point  down  and 
the  thumb  on  the  end  of  the  handle.  Then,  with 
the  knife  still  in  the  same  position  in  the  hand, 
you  chip  out  the  wood  with  a  sliding  cut  toward 
you,  slanting  it  down  to  the  depth  of  the  cut.     It 


m.    . 

v^ 

}  , 

'ji 

(a)  file,      (b)  ink  well,     (c)   pen  tray 


riG  / 


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V—'     V 

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1 

Diagrams  of  an  Ink  Well   Stand,  a  Bill   File  and  a   Pen  Tray. 

[47] 


Fid  7 


saa 


-^  li'- — 4- 


L@l 


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Fig  II 


— \ 

t 

-    S" 

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3"     

Diagrams  of  a  Pen  Tray,  an  Envelope  Opener  and  a  Book 

Rack. 

[48] 


YOUR  OWN  DESK  SET  49 

is  a  little  difficult  to  describe  this  without  seeing 
it  done,  but  if  you  look  at  the  patterns  and  the 
photographs,  and  experiment  a  little  on  a  piece 
of  wood,  you  will  find  it  easy. 

Fig.  3  and  Fig.  4  show  the  bill  file.  Fig.  3  is 
made  from  a  three  and  a  quarter-inch  square, 
cut  similarly  to  the  foot  of  the  ink  well,  and  with 
the  same  motif  carved  on  each  corner.  It 
should  be  remembered  in  cutting  the  recessed 
edges  that  the  sides  running  zvitJi  the  grain  must 
be  cut  front  each  end,  and  the  cross-cut  sides  cut 
fozvard  each  end.  Fig.  4  is  cut  like  Fig.  i,  ex- 
cept that  there  is  no  opening  in  it.  It  is  then 
glued  to  the  top  of  Fig.  3,  and  a  three-inch  nail 
is  driven  up  through  the  center. 

Fig.  5  shows  one  side  of  the  pen  tray.  It  is 
made  from  a  piece  of  wood  nine  inches  long  at  the 
bottom,  tapered  to  seven  and  three-eighths  inches 
at  the  top,  and  one  and  seven-eighth  inches  wide. 
The  motif  for  the  carving  is  made  by  putting  to- 
gether two  of  the  squares  shown  in  Fig.  2  and 
then  repeating  this  again  and  again.  It  makes  a 
very  pretty  and  effective  decoration.  Fig.  6  is 
one  of  the  end  pieces,  and  is  decorated  in  the 
same  way.  Fig.  7  is  a  cross-section  showing  the 
construction  of  the  pen  tray.  For  this  you 
should  first  make  two  oblongs,  seven  and  three- 


50      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

eighth  inches  long,  one  of  them  being  one  and 
three-eighths,  and  the  other,  one  and  one-half 
inches  wide.  These  are  fastened  together  at 
right  angles,  the  long  one  topping  over  the 
shorter,  with  tiny  nails.  Then  a  piece  measur- 
ing two  inches  by  one  and  one-quarter  is  nailed 
to  each  end,  to  hold  the  tray  firm.  Next,  the  top 
edge  all  around  is  beveled — the  side  edges,  so 
that  the  sides  (Fig.  5)  may  be  fitted  on  straight 
up  and  down,  and  the  ends,  at  such  an  angle  that 
they  will  not  interfere  in  putting  on  the  end  pieces 
(Fig.  6).  Then  the  sides  and  ends  are  glued  in 
position,  and  the  tray  is  finished. 

For  the  envelope  opener  in  Fig.  8,  a  piece  of 
gum  wood  five  and  a  half  inches  long  by  a  half 
inch  square  is  used.  For  two  and  a  half  inches 
from  the  end  it  is  reduced  to  an  octagonal 
shape.  Then  the  notches  are  cut,  and  the  end 
of  the  handle — four  sides  only,  not  the  entire 
eight — beveled.  Then  the  blade  is  cut,  curv- 
ing down  from  the  handle,  and  reducing  the 
blade  to  an  even  thickness  of  an  eighth  of  an 
inch.  When  this  is  quite  even  the  end  is  pointed, 
and  the  entire  outside  edge  of  the  blade  is  beveled 
down  from  both  sides,  to  a  cutting  edge. 

The  base  of  the  book  rack  (Figs.  9  and  10),  is 
made  from  two  pieces  of  wood  measuring  four 


YOUR  OWN  DESK  SET  51 

inches  by  nine,  which  are  cut  as  shown,  to  fit  and 
sHde  within  each  other.  It  measures  thirteen 
inches,  closed,  and  sixteen  inches,  open.  A  good 
way  to  fasten  the  pieces  together  so  that  they 
wall  slide  easily  and  yet  be  firm,  is  with  strips 
of  thin  sheet  brass,  which  can  be  bought  very 
cheaply.  A  strip  three-quarters  of  an  inch  wide 
is  passed  around  the  rack  at  D  with  both  pieces 
in  position,  lapped  and  fastened  to  D.  Another 
similar  piece  is  passed  around  at  C  and  fastened 
to  C  Then  the  ends  (Fig.  11)  are  made.  This 
requires  two  pieces  four  inches  wide  by  four  and 
a  half  long,  with  the  grain  running  up  and  down. 
The  top  is  made  a  little  prettier  by  a  semi-circular 
curve  and  a  reverse  quarter  circle  at  each  side  of 
it.  The  deep  carving  is  a  trifle  more  elaborate 
than  on  the  other  things,  and  must  be  done  care- 
fully where  the  cuts  all  meet  at  the  bottom. 

After  measuring  and  finding  the  position  of  the 
points  "a''  and  ''b"  you  should  use  these  as  cen- 
ters from  which  to  make  the  curves  which  deter- 
mine the  outline  of  your  design.  The  cutting  is 
done  exactly  as  you  did  before.  When  these  are 
finished  they  should  be  fastened  on  top  of  the 
base,  at  either  end,  with  little  brass  hinges  on  the 
inside.  A  strip  of  wood  four  inches  long  by 
three-quarters  of  an  inch  wide  is  placed  at  the 


52      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

lower  edge  of  the  end  pieces,  on  the  outside,  for 
added  strength,  and  the  screws  fastening  the 
hinges  will  hold  it  in  place. 

This  completes  the  actual  making  of  the  desk 
set.  It  may  be  sandpapered,  or  it  may  be  var- 
nished, or,  if  you  are  fortunate  enough  to  have  a 
mission  desk,  it  may  be  stained  to  match.  In  any 
case  it  is  worth  having. 


WILD  ANIMALS  YOU  CAN  MAKE 

WITH  a  circus  folder  or  animal  book  for  a 
copy,  a  few  old  cigar  boxes,  and  a  jack 
knife,  a  very  lively  and  life-like  menagerie  can 
be  made. 

Cut  the  cigar  boxes  apart,  and  sandpaper  the 
pieces  very  smooth.  Then  take  a  pencil  and 
sketch  as  well  as  you  can  the  animals  in  the  pic- 
tures— at  least  the  bodies  of  them,  for  the  legs 
are  to  be  attached  afterward,  so  that  they  can 
stand  and  "do  things." 

The  cutting  must  be  done  very,  very  carefully, 
for  the  outlines  make  so  many  different  angles 
with  the  grain  of  the  wood.  It  is  not  in  the  least 
like  straight  cutting  with  the  grain,  or  even 
straight  cross-cutting,  and  the  wood  has  an  irri- 
tating habit  of  splitting  off  some  vital  part  of 
the  animal's  anatomy. 

It  is  impossible  to  make  the  tails  out  of  wood, 
so  they  are  made  of  heavy  string,  glued  in  place. 
For  the  monkey,  you  can  make  a  tail  of  wire,  so 
that  he  can  swing  by  it. 

Make  the  legs  of  the  animals  separately  and 

53 


hnnoQ 


Hfppo's    /LCr^  Hr/0/(PO\5  /^o^ 


l^^er'^  /^rnd  /<?^ 


77a,e-rs  ^r-c  leo 


Patterns  of  Hippo  and  Tiger. 
[54] 


WHITTLED    WILD   ANIMALS 

Giraffe,  Camel 


(5trV/<»*  l-^f- 


Patterns  of  Monkey  and  Giraffe. 
I55] 


Benr's  Le 


•f 


^ 


Lion's  FoTC  LCi 


Leans  Hind  Ceo, 


3ea.r'S  f^oot. 


-UUS. 
Lion's  /^oi;. 


Patterns  of  Bear  and  Lion. 
[56] 


% 


^' 


«.        1 


«r-- 


^ 


i^aes*^*-- 


'^^^ 


01  i^' 


^ 


^ 


WHITTLED   WILD   ANIMALS 

Bear,  Lion,  "Darwin" 


WILD  ANIMALS  YOU  CAN  MAKE     57 

fasten  them  on  to  the  bodies  with  tiny  nails. 
Place  the  two  fore  legs  or  two  hind  legs  in  posi- 
tion on  either  side  of  the  body  piece,  and  drive 
through  them  a  short  wire  nail,  a  very  little 
longer  than  is  necessary  to  go  through  the  three 
thicknesses  of  wood.  Then  rest  the  head  of  the 
nail  on  a  piece  of  iron,  and  hammer  the  point, 
forming  a  little  rivet  to  pivot  the  legs.  The  feet 
must  also  be  made  separately,  and  fastened  on  in 
the  same  way,  so  that,  whatever  position  the  legs 
are  in,  the  feet  will  remain  level. 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  SET  OF  MISSION 
FURNITURE 

AVERY  attractive  set  of  furniture  suitable 
for  a  doll's  nursery,  may  be  whittled  from 
pieces  of  old  cigar  boxes.  It  consists  of  four 
pieces — a  "Craftsman"  bed,  a  chair,  a  table,  and 
a  chest  of  drawers. 

For  the  head  of  the  bed  take  a  piece  of  wood 
four  inches  square,  and,  placing  it  with  the  grain 
of  the  wood  running  up  and  down,  mark  it  out 
like  Fig.  I.  As  a  general  rule,  the  grain  of  the 
wood  should  lie  with  the  longest  dimension,  but 
in  all  the  upright  pieces  of  this  set  it  must  run  up 
and  down.  Outline  first  the  "recessed  edge," 
which  forms  the  legs  of  the  bed,  scoring  it  lightly 
with  the  point  of  the  knife.  Then  cutting  a  little 
bit  out  at  a  time,  and  working  from  the  center 
toward  each  end,  bring  it  down  to  the  line.  The 
two  openings,  an  eighth  of  an  inch  by  a  half  inch, 
for  the  joints,  must  be  cut  with  the  point  of  the 
knife — the  ends  first,  then  the  sides,  and  lastly 
the  wood  is  chipped  out,  and  the  opening  is 
evened  up.     The  foot  of  the  bed  is  identical  with 

59 


6o      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

the  head  except  that  is  three  inches  high  instead 
of  four. 

Next  come  the  side  pieces — two  pieces  seven 
inches  long  and  one  inch  wide,  cut  Hke  Fig.  2. 
The  half-inch  ends  slide  through  the  openings  in 
the  head  and  foot  of  the  bed,  and  fasten  with  lit- 
tle wedge-shaped  pegs  like  Fig.  5.  Inside  each 
of  these  side  pieces,  and  "flush"  with  the  bottom 
edge,  glue  a  strip  cut  like  Fig.  3,  and  fit  in  five 
little  slats  three  and  three-eighths  inches  long  by 
a  half  inch  wide  (Fig.  4).  Then,  to  c-omplete  it 
and  make  it  look  as  much  like  a  Craftsman  bed  as 
possible,  paste  on  the  head  a  panel  of  light  brown 
wrapping  paper,  on  which  are  four  little  conven- 
tional kittens,  painted  in  Van  Dyke  brown. 

The  top  of  the  table  (Fig.  6)  is  a  piece  four 
inches  square.  The  end  pieces  (Fig.  7)  are  cut 
similarly  to  the  head  and  foot  of  the  bed,  with  the 
same  recessed  edge  and  the  same  openings,  vary- 
ing only  in  the  outside  dimensions.  The  sides 
too  (Fig.  8),  are  similar  to  the  sides  of  the  bed, 
except  that  they  are  of  course,  much  shorter. 
Slip  them  through  the  openings  in  the  end  pieces, 
fasten  them  with  four  little  pegs,  glue  the  top  on, 
and  the  table  is  done. 

The  chair  is  built  on  the  same  general  lines  as 
the  table  and  bed.     The  chair  back  (Fig.  9)  meas- 


DOLLS     CHAIU  AND   TABLE,    WHITTLED    IN    MISSION    STYLE 


0 

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Diagrams  of  a  "Craftsman"  Bed,  a  Table  and  a  Chair. 
[6i] 


A 

V- 

.  ♦ 

b^  ^ 

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T                 H 

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Diagrams  of  a  Chair  and  a  Chest  of  Drawers. 
[62] 


A  SET  OF  MISSION  FURNITURE      63 

ures  two  and  a  quarter  inches  wide  by  three  and 
one-half  inches  high,  while  the  front  upright 
piece  is  exactly  similar  but  only  an  inch  and  one- 
half  high — just  high  enough  for  dolly  to  swing 
her  feet  comfortably.  When  these  and  the  side 
pieces  (Fig.  10)  are  done  and  put  together,  glue 
on  a  piece  one  and  five-eighths  inches  by  two  and 
a  quarter  (Fig.  11)  for  the  seat. 

The  construction  of  the  chest  of  drawers  is  a 
little  more  elaborate.  Make  first  two  side  pieces 
like  Fig  12.  They  measure  two  and  a  quarter 
inches  wide  by  three  and  one-half  high,  and  have 
a  recessed  edge  a  quarter  of  an  inch  deep  at  the 
bottom  to  form  feet,  and  three  openings  in  each 
side  for  the  partitions  between  the  drawers. 
There  are  one  deep  drawer  at  the  top,  and  two 
shallower  ones  below  it.  Make  three  pieces  like 
Fig.  13,  four  inches  long  by  one  and  three-quar- 
ters wide.  The  little  square  and  piece  for  the 
joint  are  not  exactly  in  the  middle,  and  the  longer 
space  goes  toward  the  back,  but  is  intended  to 
leave  a  little  open  space  of  a  half  inch  at  the  back. 

Next  make  three  pieces  for  the  fronts  of  the 
drawers  (Fig.  14),  two  of  them  five-eighths  of 
an  inch  wide,  and  one  measuring  an  inch  and  a 
quarter.  In  each  of  these  make  two  holes  for  the 
knobs.     The  drawers  themselves   (Fig.   15)   are 


64      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

made  of  light  weight  pasteboard,  'ihe  bottom 
dimensions  remain  the  same  of  course  for  all — 
two  and  three-quarter  inches  by  two — but  the 
depths  of  the  sides  must  be  one  and  one-quarter 
inches  for  the  wider,  and  five-eighths  of  an  inch 
for  the  narrower  ones.  When  these  are  cut  out, 
fold  them  on  the  dotted  lines  to  form  a  box,  with 
the  sides  which  lap  over  each  other  at  the  front. 
The  knobs  of  the  drawers  are  made  of  large 
beads.  Put  a  piece  of  string  through  each  bead, 
and  then  push  the  two  ends  of  string  through  the 
hole  in  the  front  of  the  drawer,  and  through  a 
corresponding  hole  in  the  pasteboard  drawer 
itself.  Then  tie  the  two  ends  of  string  from  the 
right-hand  knob  to  the  two  pieces  from  the  left- 
hand  knob  in  a  firm  square  knot,  accomplishing 
the  triple  purpose  of  holding  the  knobs  in  posi- 
tion, fastening  the  front  piece  on  to  the  drawer, 
and  holding  the  drawer  in  shape.  An  oblong 
piece  of  wood  two  and  a  quarter  inches  by  three 
and  a  quarter  (Fig.  i6)  makes  the  top,  and  an- 
other four  inches  by  three  and  a  quarter  forms 
the  back. 


TOYS  THAT  HIDE  IN  THE  WOOD  BOX 

THE  farm  barn  with  its  loft  hung  with  cob- 
webs and  the  great  hay  mows,  and  the  farm 
wagons  to  scramble  out  and  in  is  surely  a  delight 
to  the  country  boy;  but  if  one  corner  of  the  barn 
has  a  big  pile  of  clean,  smooth  blocks  and  sticks 
of  kindling  wood,  the  charm  of  the  place  will  be 
redoubled. 

A  glance,  only,  at  a  heap  of  ordinary,  every- 
day kindling  wood  will  suggest  all  sorts  of  plays 
to  the  resourceful  boy.  With  the  aid  of  a  few 
simple  tools,  a  hammer,  a  light  saw,  and  some 
wire  nails,  the  pieces  of  wood  may  be  changed 
into  crude,  but  realistic  toys  that  will  give  the 
little  folks  quite  as  much  pleasure  as  any  to  be 
found  in  a  toy  shop. 

Look,  first,  at  the  building  possibilities  of  a 
pile  of  kindling  wood.  The  long,  straight  sticks 
may  be  balanced  on  the  barn  floor  to  represent 
a  regiment  of  soldiers.  With  penciled  faces, 
and  soldier  caps  they  make  very  fine  little  men; 
and  if  there  are  two  opposing  armies,  a  most  ex- 
citing sham  battle  may  be  carried  on  with  horse 

65 


66      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

chestnuts  and  green  apples  for  ammunition,  and 
a  prize  for  the  general  whose  kindling-wood 
forces  stand  up  the  longest. 

A  miniature  pig  pen  may  be  built  by  piling  up 
kindling-wood  sticks  in  log-cabin  fashion.  The 
sticks  selected  for  the  pen  should  be,  as  nearly 
as  possible,  of  the  same  length.  Two  sticks 
should  be  laid  parallel.  These  are  then  con- 
nected by  laying  other  sticks  across  their  ends. 
The  boy  should  continue  building  in  this  man- 
ner until  the  pig  pen  is  of  a  good  height.  A 
very  fine,  fat  pig  may  be  made  of  a  small  cucum- 
ber, having  twigs  stuck  into  his  body  for  legs, 
one  of  the  vine  tendrils  for  a  curly  tail  and  melon 
seeds  for  ears. 

A  log  house  is  constructed  by  building  a  foun- 
dation similar  to  the  pig  pen.  The  roof  is 
formed  by  laying  a  row  of  sticks,  quite  close  to- 
gether, across  the  top.  A  family  of  little  clothes 
pin  dolls  may  live  most  comfortably  in  a  kindling 
wood  house. 

In  front  of  the  house  there  should  be  a  strong, 
rail  fence  to  protect  the  inmates  from  any  In- 
dians who  may  come  in  while  the  builder  is  away. 
To  build  a  Virginia  rail  fence,  two  sticks  of 
kindling  wood  should  be  crossed  in  the  shape  of 
a  letter  V.     A  third  stick  is  added  at  a  similar 


TOYS  IN  THE  WOOD  BOX  6j 

angle  with  the  second  stick.  This  form  of  build- 
ing is  continued  until  the  fence  is  of  the  required 
length.  Going  back  to  the  first  stick,  a  second 
layer  of  sticks  is  started  on  top  of  the  first  layer ; 
and  the  fence  may  be  built  as  high  as  one  wishes 
by  the  addition  of  a  third  and  a  fourth  layer. 

There  are  ever  so  many  playthings  that  can 
be  built  from  the  wood  found  in  the  wood  pile. 
A  boy  who  is  clever  with  his  jack  knife  will  be 
able  to  make  a  set  of  ten  pins  from  sticks  of 
kindling  wood  by  carving  little  round  heads  at 
the  ends  of  the  sticks.  Very  straight  bits  of 
wood  which  will  balance  well  should  be  chosen 
for  the  ten  pins.  He  can  also  carve  quaint 
wooden  dolls  for  the  little  sister. 

The  accompanying  illustration  shows  a  toy 
barnyard  that  was  made  by  a  group  of  children. 
Their  only  tools  were  a  couple  of  hammers,  a  toy 
saw,  some  nails  and  a  jack  knife.  The  only  ma- 
terials used  were  found  in  the  wood  pile  in  the 
wood-shed. 

The  barnyard  fence  is  constructed  from  lath. 
Long  strips  are  used  for  the  bars  of  the  fence. 
The  fence  posts  are  bits  of  lath,  also,  carved  in 
six-inch  lengths,  pointed  at  the  top  with  a  knife, 
and  nailed  to  the  longer  strips.  Bits  of  leather 
are  tacked  in  place  for  the  gate  hinges.     Bits  of 


68      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

kindling  wood  split  into  narrow  sections  are 
nailed  together  for  the  pig  pen  and  the  cow  shed. 
Some  old  wooden  boxes  are  used  for  the  farm 
wagon  and  the  wheelbarrow,  the  curved  edges  of 
the  wheelbarrow  being  made  with  a  jack  knife. 
The  box  cover  is  used  as  wheel  material,  two 
circles  being  cut  out  of  the  soft  wood  with  a  jack 
knife  and  fastened  to  the  body  of  the  wagon  with 
dowel  sticks.  Another  box  is  mounted  on  a 
standard  of  lath  and  forms  a  very  realistic  pigeon 
house.  The  chicken  coops  are  little  wood 
squares  nailed  together  at  an  angle  of  90°  with 
bits  of  lath  fastened  across  the  front.  With  the 
addition  of  a  rude  barn  made  from  scraps  of 
wood,  a  dog  house — which  is  only  a  small  edition 
of  the  barn — and  a  cattle  shed,  the  farmyard 
is  complete — a  crude  but  unfailing  source  of 
amusement  for  many  rainy  days. 

One  of  the  simplest  toys  to  make  of  wood  bas- 
ket scraps  is  a  little  play  sled.  For  this  you  will 
need  three  oblong  pieces  of  wood — one  of  them 
(Fig.  i)  measuring  four  inches  wide  by  seven 
inches  long,  and  the  other  two  (Fig.  2)  measur- 
ing two  and  a  half  inches  wide  by  nine  and  one- 
half  inches  long.  Some  pieces  of  an  old  packing 
box  about  a  half  inch  thick  will  do  very  nicely  for 
these.     Mark  the  outlines  first  with  a  pencil;  then 


F/G.  /. 


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Diagrams  of  a  Sled,  a  Chicken  Coop  and  a  Table. 
[69] 


ni 


/=/^.  /^ 


/vc?  e 


1 

■-     u 

.z'-^ 

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<-Z\ 

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F^a  z^- 


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Diagrams  of  a  Cart. 


[70] 


TOYS  IN  THE  WOOD  BOX  71 

cut  them  out  with  the  saw,  and  ''true  them  up'' 
with  a  knife — that  is,  take  off  the  httle  rough- 
nesses that  the  saw  has  left,  and  make  the  edges 
perfectly  straight  and  square.  Next  the  two  long 
side  pieces  which  you  have  made  must  be  shaped. 
Measure  off  on  the  lower  edge  (with  the  piece 
standing  in  position  as  though  it  were  on  the 
sled),  two  inches  from  the  front  end.  Connect 
this  by  a  line  with  the  upper  front  corner,  and 
cut  it.  Then  round  off  the  lower  end  of  this  cut 
so  that  it  curves  into  the  bottom.  Now  make  a 
nail  hole  near  the  front  end  of  each  side  piece  for 
a  string  to  go  through,  nail  the  side  pieces  to  the 
other  oblong  which  you  made  for  the  top,  and  the 
little  sled  is  done. 

Another  very  simple  toy  to  make  of  this  ma- 
terial is  a  little  chicken  coop.  This  is  made  of 
one  square  piece  of  wood  and  another  piece  which 
is  almost  square.  The  first  piece  (Fig.  3)  meas- 
ures seven  inches  each  way,  and  the  other  one 
(Fig.  4)  measures  seven  inches  in  one  direction, 
and  in  the  other  direction  seven  inches  less  the 
thickness  of  the  wood.  This  is  because  one  piece 
laps  over  the  end  of  the  other,  and  the  end  of  the 
first  piece  forms  part  of  the  other  side  of  the 
coop.  When  these  pieces  are  cut  and  made  per- 
fectly square  and  true,  lap  the  longer  piece  over 


^2      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

the  end  of  the  shorter  so  that  it  will  he  just  even 
with  the  surface,  and  nail  in  position.  For  the 
slats  (Fig.  5)  cut  some  strips  an  inch  wide  and 
thinner  than  the  sides  of  the  coop.  Lath  is  good 
if  you  have  it.  Two  of  these  strips  are  ten  inches 
long,  two  are  seven  inches,  and  two  are  four 
inches.  The  longest  ones  are  nailed  across  the 
open  sides  of  the  coop,  one  on  each  side,  an  inch 
above  the  bottom.  The  middle-sized  ones  are 
nailed  two  inches  above  these,  and  the  shortest 
ones  two  inches  higher.  Then  the  ends  of  these 
strips  are  sawed  off  almost  even  with  the  coop. 
A  little  table  may  be  made  from  one  block  of 
wood  six  inches  square,  and  four  cylinders  three 
and  a  half  inches  long.  For  the  table  top  (Fig. 
6)  select  a  piece  of  wood  about  an  inch  thick. 
Make  this  true,  and  smooth  the  top  with  sand- 
paper. Then  mark  on  the  under  side  a  square 
which  is  four  inches  on  a  side,  and  exactly  an 
inch  away  from  each  side  of  the  table  top.  At 
the  corner  of  this  inside  square  are  to  be  made  the 
holes  for  the  table  legs.  For  these  holes  you  will 
have  to  use  a  bit  and  brace,  and  make  the  holes 
one  inch  in  diameter  and  a  half  inch  deep.  If 
you  haven't  a  bit  and  brace,  you  can,  with  a  little 
more  trouble,  whittle  out  the  holes.  For  the 
table  legs  (Fig.  7)  take  four  pieces  of  wood  one 


TOYS  IN  THE  WOOD  BOX  jz 

inch  square  and  three  and  one-half  inches  long. 
By  whittling-  off  each  long  corner  edge  you  can 
make  these  from  square  prisms  into  octagonal,  or 
eight-sided  prisms.  Then  keep  shaving  off  these 
corner-edges  until  the  prisms  are  so  many-sided 
that  they  are  practically  round.  Smooth  them 
with  sandpaper,  and  glue  in  place  in  the  holes  in 
the  under  side  of  the  table  top. 

A  strong  little  cart  may  be  made  almost  as 
easily  as  these  other  wood  toys.  Cut  from 
some  pieces  of  wood  three  quarters  of  an  inch 
thick,  two  side  pieces  (Fig.  8)  measuring  three 
inches  by  ten  inches,  two  end  pieces  (Fig. 
9)  three  inches  by  five  inches,  and  one  bottom 
piece  (Fig.  lo)  five  inches  by  eleven  and  a  half 
inches.  In  the  center  of  one  of  the  end  pieces 
make  a  nail  hole  for  the  string  to  go  through. 
Nail  the  sides  and  ends  together,  lapping  the  end 
pieces  over  the  ends  of  the  side  pieces.  Then 
nail  the  bottom  piece  on.  For  the  shafts  of  the 
wheels  (Fig.  ii)  take  two  pieces  of  wood  nine 
inches  long  and  one  inch  square.  For  a  space 
of  two  inches  in  from  each  end  make  the  shafts 
cylindrical  just  as  you  did  the  table  legs,  leaving 
the  center  portion,  which  is  five  inches  long, 
square.  Nail  these  shafts  to  the  bottom  of  the 
cart  at  points  two  and  a  half  inches  from  each 


74      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

end.  Next  cut  from  i  inch-thick  wood  four 
wheels  (Fig.  12),  three  and  a  half  inches  in  diam- 
eter. These  may  be  cut  out  roughly  with  a  saw, 
and  worked  down  to  the  marked  line  with  the 
knife.  Then  cut  in  the  center  of  each  of  these 
wheels  a  hole  about  one  and  one-sixteenth  inches 
in  diameter — enough  larger  than  the  shaft  so  that 
the  wheels  will  turn  easily.  Slip  the  wheels  in 
place,  and  drive  into  the  shaft  from  opposite  sides, 
outside  of  each  wheel,  two  small  finishing  nails. 
These  are  to  keep  the  wheels  in  place,  and  must 
be  driven  in  carefully  so  as  not  to  split  the  shafts. 
These  are  all  attractive  wood  basket  toys  to 
make,  and  besides  this,  each  one  of  them  may  be 
adapted,  by  enlarging,  for  some  real  use.  The 
sled,  with  the  addition  of  iron  strips  for  run- 
ners, may  be  really  used;  or  by  using  two  sleds 
and  an  extra  board  fastened  to  both  so  that 
they  will  turn,  it  may  be  made  into  a  ''bob-sled" 
or  "double."  The  chicken  coop,  enlarged,  will 
comfortably  accommodate  the  mother  hen  and 
her  brood  of  chicks  which  are  the  beginning  of 
every  boy's  first  poultry  venture.  The  little  table 
may  grow  into  a  flower  stand,  and  the  cart,  made 
larger  and  stronger,  will  rival  any  shop-bought 
express  wagon  for  durability  and  comfort. 


THE  WONDERFUL  DODO  BIRD 

AVERY  long,  long  time  ago,  in  the  far  off 
country  of  Switzerland,  which  is  the  land 
of  high  mountains  and  goats  and  tourists,  there 
was  a  wonderful  bird.  Nobody  ever  saw  him 
near  by,  for  he  lived  in  a  forest  of  alpenstocks, 
and  he  had  the  longest  kind  of  legs,  so  that  no 
matter  how  fast  the  tourists  pulled  up  the  alpen- 
stocks, or  how  hard  they  tried  to  catch  him,  he  al- 
ways got  away.  The  only  way  any  one  could  see 
him  was  to  watch  the  mountain  tops,  for  when  the 
weather  was  pleasant,  he  would  climb  up  and 
stand  there  outlined  clearly  against  the  sky,  his 
long  legs  making  him  taller  than  anything  around 
him,  and  he  would  bob  up  and  down — first  his 
head  and  then  his  tail,  and  then  his  head  again — 
and  wave  his  plume  and  call,  "Do-do,  do-do/' 

The  peasants  made  little  dodo  birds  whittled 
out  of  wood,  and  sold  them  to  the  tourists,  and 
because  a  real  dodo  bird  was  only  hatched  once 
in  a  blue  moon,  and  there  are  no  more  blue 
moons,  why,  the  ones  the  peasants  made  are  the 

75 


76      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

only  dodo  birds  left.     And  this  is  how  they  made 
them. 

The  fomidation  of  the  bird's  body  (Fig.  i)  is 
a  chunky  piece  of  wood  an  inch  and  a  half  square 
by  three  inches  long.  On  each  end  of  this  is 
marked  a  circle — an  inch  and  a  half  in  diameter, 
which  makes  it  just  touch  each  edge.  Then  by 
cutting  from  circle  to  circle,  as  nearly  straight  as 
possible,  the  wood  is  made  into  a  three-inch-high 
cylinder.  Next  one  whole  end  is  rounded  off  like 
the  large  end  of  an  egg.  The  next  steps  in  mak- 
ing the  dodo  bird  are  not  quite  as  simple.  A 
straight  line  is  drawn  all  the  way  around  the 
body,  from  end  to  end,  w^hich  divides  it  into  two 
equal  parts.  At  the  end  of  the  line  which  repre- 
sents the  middle  of  the  bird's  back  is  measured 
off  a  space  a  quarter  of  an  inch  on  either  side. 
This  makes  a  half-inch  space  which  is  the  tip  of 
his  tail,  and  from  these  points  lines  are  drawn  on 
the  flat  end  surface,  to  complete  the  four-sided 
figure  shown  in  the  end  view  of  Fig.  i,  which  is 
the  whole  end  of  his  tail.  It  tapers  from  a  half 
inch  at  the  top  to  about  a  quarter  inch  at  the  bot- 
tom, and  when  it  is  all  finished,  the  bottom  is 
slanted  in  a  trifle.  Next  the  bottom  part  is  whit- 
tled up  in  a  curve  which  meets  the  lower  end  of 
the  tail,  and  the  rest  of  the  body  is  whittled  in 


n<^  -^ 


V 

'i    ^"^ 

V  ) 

1     ^ 

Diagrams  of  a  Dodo  Bird, 


y^      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

the  shape  shown  in  the  side  view  of  Fig.  i. 
This  part  can't  be  done  by  hnes  because  it  is  a 
gradual  curve  all  over.  When  this  is  done  two 
flat  slanting  surfaces  are  whittled  off  for  the 
sides  of  the  tail: 

Now  you  are  ready  to  make  the  grooves  for 
the  head  and  tail  feathers  to  go  in.  Part  of  the 
lower  center  line  has  been  whittled  off  and  will 
have  to  be  replaced.  Then,  measuring  three- 
sixteenths  of  an  inch  on  each  side  of  this  line, 
make  parallel  lines  which  shall  extend  around  the 
lower  part  of  the  body  from  the  end  of  the  tail  to 
a  point  on  the  front  end  just  a  quarter  of  an  inch 
below  the  top.  A  space  a  half  inch  wide  is  left 
in  the  middle  of  the  bottom  for  the  legs  to  fasten 
on,  and  the  rest  is  to  be  made  into  the  grooves 
as  shown  on  the  pattern.  The  easiest  way  to  do 
this  is  to  cut  as  far  in  as  possible,  on  the  parallel 
lines  which  you  have  drawn,  with  a  small  saw. 
Then  chip  the  wood  out  with  a  small  chisel,  and, 
with  the  chisel  held  bevel  side  down,  round  out 
the  bottoms  of  the  grooves.  If  you  haven't  such 
a  chisel  though,  you  can  manage  with  a  knife. 

When  the  body  is  done,  the  rest  is  easier.  Fig. 
2  shows  the  head,  made  from  a  piece  of  wood  two 
and  a  half  inches  long  by  one  and  one-eighth  wide 
and  a  quarter  inch  thick.     The  outline  is  marked 


THE  WONDERFUL  DODO  BIRD      79 

and  whittled  into  shape,  and  the  beak  is  slanted 
down  to  a  point.  One  quarter  of  an  inch  from 
the  end  of  the  neck  a  hole  is  made  for  pivoting, 
the  eyes  are  marked  in  with  a  pencil,  and  three 
rows  of  marks  are  made  across  the  neck  with  a 
little  pattern  marking  wheel.  These  may  also  be 
made  around  the  body  and  will  add  to  the  beauty 
of  the  dodo  bird.  His  plume  is  made  of  a  soft, 
downy  chicken  feather,  stuck  into  a  hole  in  the 
top  of  his  head  and  glued  in  place. 

The  tail  feather  (Fig.  3)  is  shaped  like  the 
feathered  end  of  an  arrow.  The  ''feathered" 
part  is  one  inch  wide  by  two  and  a  half  long,  and 
another  inch  in  length  forms  the  pivoting  part. 
This  end  is  a  quarter  inch  wide  and  five-six- 
teenths thick,  and  the  ''feathers"  are  cut  in  from 
each  side  with  a  slanting  cut  as  shown  in  the 
drawing.  The  bottom  is  left  perfectly  level,  but 
the  top  is  slanted  down,  with  three  flat  cuts,  to 
a  sharp  edge  at  the  end.  A  hole  is  made  from 
side  to  side,  a  quarter  of  an  inch  back  from  the 
small  end,  for  pivoting.  Two  small  nails  driven 
through  the  body,  with  the  head  and  tail  feathers 
in  position,  form  the  pivots.  They  must  be 
driven  carefully  so  as  not  to  split  the  wood,  and 
must  be  placed  so  that  the  head  and  tail  feathers 
will  work  up  and  down  very  freely. 


8o      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

The  legs  (Fig.  4)  are  pieces  of  wood  three 
and  a  half  inches  long,  a  half  inch  wide,  and  a 
quarter  of  an  inch  thick.  They  are  first  whittled 
in  an  elliptical  shape.  Then  the  lower  part,  for  a 
space  of  two  and  a  quarter  inches  is  tapered  back 
from  the  front  to  give  an  appearance  of  stand- 
ing very  straight.  At  the  upper  end,  for  a  quar- 
ter of  an  inch  from  the  top,  half  of  the  wood  is 
cut  away,  and  the  remaining  part  is  fitted  into 
holes  cut  in  the  body,  three  quarters  of  an  inch 
apart,  and  glued. 

The  standard  for  the  dodo  (Fig.  5)  is  made 
like  a  small  wooden  vise.  It  is  a  flat  piece  of 
wood  three  and  a  half  inches  long  by  two  inches 
wide  and  three  quarters  of  an  inch  thick.  One 
end  is  beveled  slightly,  and  one  end  of  the  top  is 
curved  down  slightly. 

In  the  remaining  flat  surface  on  the  top  two 
holes  are  whittled  out  into  which  the  dodo's  feet 
are  to  be  glued.  Then  a  space  two  inches  long 
and  one  inch  wide  is  cut  out  to  form  the  jaws  of 
the  vise.  To  tighten  the  vise  there  must  be  some 
sort  of  a  screw  through  the  lower  jaw.  A 
wooden  thumb  screw  is  not  easy  to  get,  so  the 
best  plan  is  to  get  a  bolt  about  three  eighths  of  an 
inch  in  diameter.     Then  cut  a  hole  almost  aa 


THE    DODO    BIRD 


THE  WONDERFUL  DODO  BIRD       8i 

large  in  your  wood,  and  screw  the  bolt  in,  forcing 
it  to  cut  its  own  ''thread"  in  the  soft  wood. 

Fig.  6  is  the  weight  which  makes  the  dodo 
work.  It  is  a  piece  of  wood  two  and  a  quarter 
inches  high  by  an  inch  and  seven-eighths  square. 
This  is  made  into  a  cylinder  and  rounded  at  one 
end  precisely  as  you  did  with  the  body.  Then 
a  circle  is  marked  around  it  a  quarter  of  an  inch 
back  from  the  flat  end,  and  this  end  is  slightly 
rounded  off.  It  may  be  decorated  or  not,  as  you 
choose. 

Now  you  are  ready  to  make  the  dodo  bird 
work.  Take  two  pieces  of  string — stout,  but  not 
too  heavy — about  twelve  inches  long.  Fasten  an 
end  of  one  of  them — with  a  tiny  wedge  and  some 
glue — into  the  end  of  the  dodo's  neck,  and  the 
other  into  the  small  end  of  the  tail.  Then  bring 
the  two  pieces  together  and  knot  them  about  an 
inch  from  the  other  end.  Fasten  these  two  ends 
into  the  top  of  the  weight  just  as  you  did  the 
single  ends. 

Now  fasten  the  vise  securely  on  a  shelf  some- 
where, and  swing  the  weight  to  and  fro  like  the 
pendulum  of  a  clock.  The  dodo  will  bob  first  his 
head  and  then  his  tail  and  then  his  head  again, 
and  you  can  almost  hear  him  calling  ''Do-do" 


^2      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOiME  THINGS 

way  off  on  the  mountain  there.  He's  a  source 
of  never-ending  fun,  boys,  and  besides  playing 
with  him  yourself,  you  can  just  watch  and  see 
how  few  grown-ups  can  go  by  him  and  resist 
swinging  the  pendulum. 


A  FLEET  OF  TOY  BOATS 

WHO  remembers  the  mill  pond  down  at  the 
farm,  clean,  and  high,  with  trees  all  about 
— a  capital  place  for  sailing  boats?  It  is  so  small 
that,  directly  a  toy  ship  is  started  on  its  voyage, 
you  can  run  around  the  other  side  and  meet  her. 

There  is  the  trout  brook,  too,  down  in  the 
woods,  where  everything  is  cool  and  still.  There 
isn't  a  sound  as  you  sit  on  the  bank  save  when  a 
mouse  comes  rustling  along,  pushing  his  way 
through  the  leaves  with  his  queer  little  pointed 
nose,  or  a  hedgehog  plods  by,  blind  and  deaf, 
never  seeing  you  at  all. 

If  you  should  launch  a  toy  boat  in  the  brook, 
where  do  you  suppose  it  would  sail  to  ?  You  will 
follow  it  a  little  way.  Sometimes  it  will  get 
caught  in  the  ferns,  or  it  may  lie  for  a  minute, 
stranded,  on  a  rock,  or  it  will  overturn  as  it 
shoots  the  rapids.  You  start  it  on  again  with 
the  long  pole  you  cut  from  the  willow  tree,  but 
presently  the  boat  will  sail  away,  out  of  a  child's 
sight,  down  the  brook. 

Perhaps  it  will  pick  up  a  crew  of  little  brownie 

83 


84      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

sailor  men.  Perhaps  it  will  stop  somewhere  to 
load  a  cargo  of  butterfly's  gowns.  You  will  lose 
sight  of  it  though.  That  is  what  always  hap- 
pens to  one's  toy  ships. 

A  boy  can  make  himself  a  whole  fleet  of  toy 
boats  to  play  with  in  the  mill  pond  and  the  trout 
brook.  If  one  of  them  does  go  sailing  away  to 
Fairyland — why,  what  does  it  matter  with  all  the 
rest  of  the  fleet  just  tugging  away  at  their  ropes, 
waiting  to  be  launched? 

The  little  boats  are  the  nicest  of  all,  because 
one  may  have  so  many  of  them.  Out  in  the 
woods  there  are  some  of  last  year's  walnuts  lying 
on  the  ground.  Split  one  in  half  with  a  jack- 
knife,  and  take  out  all  the  meat,  leaving  the  in- 
side smooth  and  white.  Glue  a  scrap  of  paper 
to  a  toothpick,  and  fasten  this  little  mast  to  the 
inside  of  the  half  walnut  shell  with  a  drop  of 
glue.  There  is  a  real  fairy  craft,  fit  for  a  dragon 
fly  to  ride  in.  Just  watch  it  toss  and  float  and 
sail  away  on  the  make-believe  waves. 

There  are  so  many  eggs  in  the  barn,  you  can 
surely  have  one.  Do  you  know  how  to  blow  an 
egg?  Make  a  tiny  hole  with  a  pin  in  each  end, 
then,  by  blowing  steadily  into  one  end,  the  con- 
tents of  the  Qgg  may  be  emptied  out  of  the  other. 
You  will  be  able  to  cut  the  tgg  shell  lengthwise, 


A  FLEET  OF  TOY  BOATS  85 

now,  with  your  jack-knife.  If  you  have  some 
paper  strips  you  can  bind  the  edges  of  the  tgg 
boat  to  make  it  a  trifle  stronger.  Glue  two  paper 
seats  across  the  top  and  add  a  pair  of  oars  made 
of  toothpicks.  A  tiny  paper  doll  will  enjoy  a 
ride  in  the  egg-shell  boat. 

Out  in  the  barn  where  you  found  the  egg, 
there  is  a  whole  big  bin  full  of  corn  cobs.  Such 
light,  clean  playthings  they  are !  They  will  make 
a  stout  little  raft  to  float  about  in  the  mill  pond. 
You  will  need  to  select  eight  corn  cobs,  all  of  the 
same  size  and  length.  Lay  them  side  by  side  on 
the  barn  floor.  Then  split  up  an  old  berry  bas- 
ket, and  cut  two  or  more  of  the  thin  strips  of 
wood  from  the  side  exactly  as  long  as  the  raft  is 
to  be  wide,  lay  these  strips  of  wood  across  the 
corn  cobs  and  nail  them  in  place  with  tacks.  The 
corn-cob  raft  is  done.  It  is  so  light  that  it  can  be 
loaded  with  quite  a  cargo,  two  or  three  rubber 
dolls  who  do  not  mind  the  water,  or  a  toy  horse, 
or  a  rubber  pig.  Then,  if  the  current  is  right,  it 
will  float  way  across  the  mill  pond,  and  the  toys 
can  land  on  the  other  side. 

Corks  make  a  fine  raft,  too,  and  such  a  light 
one!  A  cork  raft  will  almost  never  sink.  You 
must  collect  corks  for  quite  a  while  before  you 
have  enough  for  the  raft.     They  will  need  to  be 


86      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

of  just  the  same  width  and  length.  Glue  five  or 
six  corks  together  by  their  ends  to  form  a  little 
cork  log.  Make  a  number  of  these  logs,  and 
then  fasten  them  together  as  you  fastened  the 
corn-cob  raft.  Another  way  of  making  the  cork 
raft  is  to  run  the  corks  on  a  bit  of  fine  wire  and 
the  logs  may  all  be  wired  together  in  the  same 
way. 

A  very  large,  flat  cork,  such  as  mother  puts  in 
her  pickle  jars,  will  make  a  fine  little  sail  boat. 
All  that  it  needs  is  a  toothpick  mast  and  a  white 
cambric  or  paper  sail  glued  on. 

A  paper  row  boat  is  very  easy  to  make. 
Choose  an  oblong  of  heavy  paper  that  will  not 
soak  with  the  water  quickly.  Fold  a  cocked 
soldier's  hat.  Every  boy  knows  how  to  do  that. 
Hold  the  cocked  hat  in  the  middle  of  each  side 
and  pull  it  out  into  a  square.  Bend  back  the  two 
open  sides  to  form  another  cocked  hat,  but 
smaller  than  the  first  one.  Pull  this  out,  also, 
into  a  square.  Then,  if  you  pull  hard  on  the  two 
closed  corners,  the  paper  will  open  into  a  fine  lit- 
tle row  boat.  You  can  fold  so  many  of  these 
paper  boats  that  a  new  one  may  be  launched  as 
fast  as  the  old  one  sinks. 

A  boy  who  is  clever  with  his  jack-knife  will  be 
able  to  make  a  stout  little  sail  boat  from  a  piece 


A  FLEET  OF  TOY  BOATS  87 

of  an  old  tgg  crate,  or  the  side  of  a  cigar  box. 
The  wood  must  be  close  grained  and  light — that 
is  the  first  essential.  Cut  the  boat,  pointed  at 
one  end,  and  rub  it  smooth  with  a  piece  of  sand- 
paper. Glue  a  meat  skewer  to  the  center  for  the 
mast,  and  hoist  a  little  sail.  A  hole  may  be  bored 
in  the  end  of  the  sail  boat,  and  a  long  string  tied 
in  will  allow  you  to  run  along  the  edge  of  the 
brook  and  keep  this  little  craft  from  sailing 
away. 

There  are  other  boats  which  will  want  to  join 
this  toyland  fleet.  Peanut  shells  may  have  very 
tiny  paper  sails  pinned  to  the  ends.  A  race  be- 
tween two  rival  peanut  boats  will  be  great  fun. 

A  cigar  box  boat  may  have  squares  cut  from 
the  sides  with  a  knife  for  oar  locks;  with  meat 
skewer  oars,  it  will  make  a  very  creditable  scow, 
flat-bottomed,  and  perfectly  safe  for  any  doll  to 
go  clamming  in. 

Clam  shells  may  have  paper  sails  fastened  on 
with  glue,  and  any  kind  of  flat  shell  loves  to  go 
sailing  away  by  itself  on  the  water. 

A  strong  square  of  birch  bark  may  be  folded 
and  cut  rounding  at  the  ends  to  resemble  a  canoe. 
The  ends  are  then  sewed  with  a  needle  threaded 
with  strands  of  sweet  grass  or  stout  cotton,  mak- 
ing a  tiny  Indian  craft.     If  you  wish  the  canoe 


88      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

to  be  perfectly  water  tight,  it  can  be  lined  with 
waxed  paper. 

There  will  be  fun  for  all  summer  long  for  the 
boy  who  makes  and  sails  his  own  fleet  of  toy 
boats. 


WHITTLED   TOY   SAIL   BOAT 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  PLAY  TENT 

HAVING  a  tent  out  in  the  garden  or  on  the 
lawn  during  the  summer  vacation  makes 
each  long,  happy  day  twice  as  long,  and  just  twice 
as  happy.  A  boy  can  play  that  he  is  an  Indian, 
or  a  first  settler,  or  a  cave  dweller,  or  even  an  old 
story  book  king  if  he  has  even  the  crudest  kind 
of  a  roof  over  his  head  and  some  sort  of  a  play 
shelter  beneath  which  he  can  live  and  play,  and 
dream  all  manner  of  delightful  things. 

Of  course  the  nicest  tent  of  all  is  one  from  a 
real  tent  factory  made  of  canvas  and  having 
staples  and  pegs  to  fasten  it  to  the  ground,  but 
such  a  tent  costs  ever  so  much  money,  and  not 
every  mother  and  father  can  afford  to  buy  it. 
One  family  of  children  went  without  fireworks 
on  Fourth  of  July  that  they  might  save  the  money 
which  they  would  have,  otherwise,  burned  up  and 
with  it  they  bought  themselves  a  tent  which  lasted 
much  longer  than  the  smoke  and  noise  of  the  fire- 
works would  have. 

There  is,  though,  a  very  fine  tent  indeed,  and 
one  that  will  give  a  group  of  boys  quite  as  much 

89 


90      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

pleasure  as  any  manufactured  one.  This  is  the 
home-made  tent.  It  is  the  tent  that  seems  to 
really  belong  to  you  because  it  is  a  sort  of  a  make- 
shift and  you  make  it  with  your  own  hands. 
There  are  ever  so  many  ways  of  making  your 
own  tent,  all  of  them  simple  and  quite  easy  for 
one  to  follow. 

One  very  strong  and  serviceable  tent  has  a 
foundation  of  straight,  young  birch  trees  or  sap- 
lings cut  in  the  early  spring  and  used  for  tent 
poles.  Holes  should  be  dug,  and  the  poles  set 
in  the  ground  a  quarter  their  length  that  no  sum- 
mer wind  storm  can  uproot  them.  Around  each 
pole,  the  earth  is  then  pounded  down,  and  the  tops 
of  the  poles,  six  or  eight  in  number,  should  be 
lashed  together  with  cord.  A  couple  of  old  army 
blankets  may  be  stitched  together  to  make  a  cov- 
ering for  this  tent.  A  hole  is  cut  in  the  center 
and  the  covering  is  slipped  over  the  supports  and 
tied  to  the  base  of  each  pole.  There  will  be 
enough  extra  blanket  to  make  a  flap  in  the  front 
of  the  tent  to  act  as  a  door.  If  there  is  a  sum- 
mer shower  when  the  children  are  playing  in  this 
blanket  tent  they  may  pull  the  flap  tight  shut,  and 
just  snuggle  inside,  listening  to  the  raindrops 
that  do  not  soak  through  the  blanket  covering 
one  bit. 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  PLAY  TENT       91 

A  second  home-made  tent  has  a  foundation  of 
bean  poles  or  clothes  poles  for  supports.  These 
are  sunk  in  the  ground  and  fastened  together  at 
the  top  as  were  the  saplings  used  for  the  blanket 
tent.  The  covering,  however,  is  of  brown  denim. 
Twelve  yards  will  make  a  very  good-sized  tent. 
The  lengths  are  cut  to  fit  the  poles  used  as  tent 
supports;  they  are  pointed  at  the  top,  and 
stitched  together.  Tape  sewed  at  the  top,  cen- 
ter, and  base  of  each  seam,  on  the  inside,  may  be 
tied  around  the  poles  and  fasten  the  covering  to 
the  props.  This  tent  may  be  decorated  in  such  a 
way  that  it  will  make  a  real  patch  of  color  on  the 
lawn  or  in  the  back  yard,  and  will  have  the  ap- 
pearance of  an  Indian's  wigwam.  Red  and 
green,  or  yellow  denim  is  used  for  the  decora- 
tions. Small  conventionalized  trees,  moons, 
stars,  leaves,  or  any  preferred  designs  are  cut 
from  the  colored  cloth  and  stitched  to  the  brown 
covering.  Another  way  of  decorating  the  denim 
tent  is  to  paint  pictures  on  it  with  stencil  colors, 
using  stencil  patterns  of  Indians,  animals,  or 
flowers.  These  colors  are  "fast"  and  the  rain 
will  not  wash  them  off  as  is  apt  to  happen  in  the 
case  of  designs  applied  with  colored  cloth. 

A  flower  tent  is  a  new  sort  of  playhouse  and  is 
quite  delightful  in  sunshiny  weather.     When  it 


92      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

rains  you  can  watch  your  tent  grow  from  the 
house  windows.  It  will  be  wise  to  select  a  fence 
corner,  where  a  row  of  castor  beans  will  sprout 
in  a  night  almost  to  help  form  the  back  of  the 
tent.  Between  these  castor  plants,  there  may  be 
some  quick-growing  vine  planted;  mock  orange, 
morning  glory,  or  moon  flower.  As  the  seeds 
sprout  and  the  vines  begin  to  grow,  they  should 
be  twined  upon  strings  which  extend  up  the 
fence  and  across  the  top  between  the  two  sides  of 
the  fence,  forming  the  tent  roof.  Before  sum- 
mer is  over,  this  roof  will  be  a  thick  one  as  the 
vines  increase  their  leaves  and  the  leaves  them- 
selves grow  larger  and  more  lavish  of  their 
shade.  After  a  while  they  will  hang  over  the 
front  of  the  tent  helping  to  form  a  third  side, 
and  when  the  tent  bursts  into  blossom  the  chil- 
dren who  live  inside  it  will  feel  almost  as  if  they 
were  in  fairyland. 

These  tents  all  take  time  to  make,  but  there  are 
other  home-made  tents  that  can  spring  up  in  a 
day  in  the  garden.  A  very  little  boy  can  set  up 
grandfather's  big  green  umbrella  for  a  tent  and 
have  a  pleasant  time  sitting  under  it.  The  han- 
dle can  be  buried  a  little  way  in  the  ground  and 
there  will  be  plenty  of  room  beneath  its  delightful 
green  shade  for  a  boy  and  a  picture  book,  or  a  lit- 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  PLAY  TENT       93 

tie  girl  and  her  doll.  To  make  this  umbrella  tent 
still  more  snug  and  sheltering,  grandmother's 
shawl  can  be  draped  around  it,  or  a  rug  may  be 
pinned  to  the  edges  to  form  the  back  and  walls. 
Two  boys  who  live  next  door  to  each  other  and 
are  the  friendliest  of  neighbors  can  make  a  tent 
that  they  can  share.  The  village  carpenter  will 
furnish  four  stout  pine  posts  a  little  taller  than  the 
fence  between  the  boys'  homes  is  high.  Two  of 
these  posts  are  set  up  on  one  side  of  the  fence 
about  eight  feet  from  the  fence  itself,  and  two  on 
the  other  side  in  just  the  same  position.  The 
ticking  cover  of  an  old  feather  bed  may  be  cut 
down  to  the  right  size,  and  nailed  to  the  posts  for 
a  roof.  A  couple  of  old  sails  may  be  cut  into 
straight  curtains  for  the  sides  of  the  tent,  with 
strips  of  lath  in  the  hem  so  that  they  can  be  rolled 
up  in  pleasant  weather.  The  tent  is  very  cozy 
when  it  is  finished,  and  before  the  summer  is 
over  nearly  every  boy  in  town  will  have  been  up 
to  visit  these  boys  in  their  little  two-room  tent. 


HOW  TO  MAKE  YOUR  OWN  TOPS 

SOME  toys  don't  know  how  to  play.  They 
just  stand  still  and  wait  for  a  child  to  carry 
them  around  the  garden  or  drag  them  by  their 
strings  across  the  nursery  floor.  They  have  no 
proper  play  spirit,  these  lazy  toys,  but  that  isn't 
the  case  with  a  top.  Given  a  fair  chance,  just  a 
fine,  long  string  and  a  smooth  sidewalk — why,  a 
top  will  play  with  a  child  all  day  long.  It  will 
twirl  and  whirl,  never  stopping  to  rest  for  long, 
and  singing  all  the  time  its  quaint  little  humming 
song  to  keep  tune  and  time  with  its  spinning. 

You  can  buy  a  top  for  a  penny  at  the  toy  shop, 
but  it  is  just  a  plain,  ordinary  sort  of  wooden  top 
exactly  like  all  the  other  tops.  How  would  you 
like  to  make  your  own  tops?  It  will  be  the 
easiest  task  in  the  world  to  do  this,  and  a  whole 
lot  of  fun,  too.  The  materials  for  home-made 
tops  grow  out  of  doors  and  are  lying  close  at  hand 
at  home,  in  the  wood-shed,  or  in  the  cellar. 

Sharpen  your  jack-knife,  and  you  may  start 
out  top  hunting,  at  once. 

A  beet  makes  a  queer  little  top  that  will  spin 
95 


96      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

gayly  for  a  day,  and  if  it  breaks  on  the  sidewalk 
or  curbing,  why  you  may  pull  up  another  top 
from  the  beet  patch  in  the  garden.  The  picture 
shows  you  a  beet  top  that  looks  like  a  very  own 
cousin  to  a  wooden  top  because  it  is  just  the  same 
shape,  and  the  same  size.  There  should  be  a 
pointed  peg  whittled  from  a  scrap  of  soft  kindling 
wood  and  stuck  in  the  pointed  end  of  the  beet. 
The  beet  top  is  then  wound  with  a  string  that  has 
a  small  button  mold  or  a  little  china  button  on 
the  end  and  when  you  throw  it  as  you  do  an  ordi- 
nary wooden  peg  top,  it  will  spin  finely.  A  small 
turnip  will  make  a  top,  too,  if  it  has  a  whittled 
peg,  and  a  little  radish  makes  a  fine  top,  save  that 
it  is  too  small  to  be  wound  up  and  should  have  a 
bit  of  toothpick  stuck  in  opposite  the  peg  to  twirl 
it  by. 

The  woods  as  well  as  the  garden  are  full  of 
tops.  Let  us  go  out  top  gathering  under  the  nut 
trees  some  fine,  frosty  morning,  taking  the  heroic 
little  jack-knife,  too,  to  help  finish  the  tops.  Fat 
acorns  make  splendid  tops.  A  bit  of  twig  should 
be  whittled  down  to  the  right  size  and  stuck  in  the 
flat  end  of  the  acorn  by  which  to  spin  it.  Every 
acorn  has  a  fine  point  upon  which  to  spin  and  a 
half  dozen  of  these  gay  little  acorn  tops  may  be 
set  spinning  at  once  by  a  group  of  children  in  a 


WHITTLED   CLOWN   TOP 


HOW  TO  MAKE  YOUR  OWN  TOPS     97 

top  contest  to  see  which  will  keep  twirhng  longest. 
Horse  chestnuts  may  be  used  for  tops,  too,  if  a 
child  selects  the  very  round,  flat  kind  of  nut. 
Horse  chestnuts  gathered  when  they  first  fall 
from  the  tree  are  soft  and  easily  bored  with  an 
awl  or  darning  needle,  or  the  smallest  blade  of  a 
jack-knife.  A  hole  should  be  made  exactly  in  the 
center  of  the  nut  and  a  perfectly  straight  piece 
of  twig  inserted,  pointed  at  one  end  and  extend- 
ing a  half  inch  above  the  horse  chestnut  at  the 
top  to  hold  it  by.  Another  way  to  make  a  horse 
chestnut  top  is  to  cut  the  nut  in  half,  crosswise, 
and  insert  halves  of  toothpicks  in  each  section, 
making  two  tops  instead  of  one. 

When  the  shut-in  days  come  in  the  winter  and 
it  is  too  late  to  pick  your  tops  out  in  the  garden 
or  gather  them  in  the  woods,  it  will  be  ever  so 
much  fun  to  see  how  many  tops  you  can  make  of 
the  materials  you  are  able  to  find  at  home.  The 
wood  that  is  used  in  a  cigar  box  is  soft  and  easily 
whittled,  and  just  one  box  will  furnish  material 
for  countless  tops.  The  queer  little  circus  clown 
in  the  picture  spins  on  the  tips  of  his  toes  if  a 
top  string  is  wound  about  the  long  peg  protrud- 
ing from  the  top  of  his  head.  He  is  not  one  bit 
difficult  to  make.  The  outline  of  a  clown  in  a 
picture  book  is  drawn  on  a  sheet  of  tracing  paper 


98      BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

with  a  soft  pencil  and  then  transferred  to  a  piece 
of  the  soft  wood.  If  a  boy  has  a  jig  saw  it  will 
be  very  easy  to  cut  the  little  outlined  clown  in  a 
jiffy,  but  it  can  be  done  in  almost  as  short  a  time 
with  a  sharp  jack-knife.  When  the  clown  is  cut, 
his  features  are  drawn  in  with  charcoal  or  a  soft 
pencil.  If  you  spin  him  hard  enough,  he  will  rise 
right  up  off  the  ground  once  in  a  while  and  then 
settle  down  again  and  go  on  spinning.  If  a 
child  has  a  book  of  brownies  he  can  make  a 
brownie  top  in  the  same  way  that  the  clown  top 
was  made.  The  brownie  will  spin  on  the  tips  of 
his  little  pointed  toes. 

The  top  in  the  picture  that  has  a  series  of 
circles  of  different  sizes  will  be  ever  so  easy  to 
make.  The  circles,  each  a  half  inch  smaller  than 
the  one  which  is  to  be  above  it,  are  drawn  on  soft 
wood,  and  are  then  cut  out  with  a  jackknife.  A 
hole  is  cut  in  the  center  of  each  circle  and  they 
are  fitted  on  a  piece  of  wooden  meat  skewer,  the 
point  of  the  meat  skewer  forming  the  spinning 
end  of  the  top.  With  a  box  of  water  color 
paints  the  circular  disks  of  the  tops  are  then 
painted  in  gay  contrasting  colors  and  the  effect 
will  be  charming  when  the  little  top  begins  to 
spin. 

Button  molds  make  tops.     The  big  wooden 


(a)  beet  top.     (b)  top  made  of  graduated  disks 
(c)  button   mold  top 


HOW  TO  MAKE  YOUR  OWN  TOPS     99 

molds  that  the  tailor  uses  for  coats  are  best  to 
make  into  tops.  The  hole  in  the  center  must  be 
enlarged  to  admit  of  a  sharpened  end  of  a  meat 
skewer  being  inserted.  These  button  mold  tops 
may  be  painted,  too,  and  a  splendid  game  can  be 
played  with  them  on  the  nursery  table.  Two 
stakes  may  be  set  up — the  stakes  from  a  parlor 
croquet  set  will  do  nicely — at  the  opposite  ends  of 
the  table.  The  boys  playing  the  game  then 
choose  colors  and  spin  their  button  mold  tops, 
whipping  them  with  tiny  whips  made  of  meat 
skewers  and  colored  twine,  and  trying  to  see 
whose  top  will  make  the  distance  between  stakes 
first  at  the  one  spinning. 


THE  FARM  THE  SCISSORS  BUILT 

IT  will  be  almost  as  fine  as  a  real  farm  when  it 
is  finished  and  ever  so  much  easier  to  make, 
because  one  will  not  need  any  boards,  or  tools,  or 
huge  nails  to  use  in  putting  it  together. 

What  do  you  suppose  the  barn  is  made  of? 
Why,  just  a  big  piece  of  heavy  wrapping  paper 
that  some  one  has  brought  to  the  house,  and  then 
has  dropped  on  the  hall  table  to  be  thrown  away 
because  it  does  not  seem  to  be  of  any  use  now  its 
wrapping  days  are  over. 

First,  one  should  cut  the  heavy  wrapping  paper 
into  a  large  square.  Then  fold  the  square  into 
sixteen  small  squares  like  the  folding  indicated  in 
the  diagram.  Some  of  the  lines  in  the  diagram 
are  dotted.  Those  show  how  the  square  is  folded 
to  make  the  little  squares.  Some  of  the  lines  are 
solid,  heavy  lines.  Those  are  the  lines  to  be  cut. 
Make  these  cuts  very  carefully  with  scissors. 
There  will  be  three  cuts,  each  one  square  long 
and  one  square  apart  on  two  opposite  sides  of  the 
paper.  The  two  middle  squares  which  are 
marked  "a''  in  the  diagram  should  be  superim- 

lOI 


I02     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

posed.  That  is  a  very,  very  long  word,  is  it  not? 
It  means  something  very  simple,  though.  These 
two  squares  are  laid,  one  on  top  of  the  other,  and 


1     I 


Folding  for  Barn. 

are  glued  into  place.  Next,  the  squares  marked 
**b"  are  brought  together  and  their  edges  are 
glued.  Then — one  end  of  the  wrapping  paper 
barn  is  finished.     Glue  the  squares  at  the  other 


THE  FARM  THE  SCISSORS  BUILT     103 

end  of  the  barn  in  the  same  way,  and  cut  a  wide 
barn  door.  The  door  is  made  by  cutting  on  a 
vertical  crease  on  one  side  of  the  house,  making 
two  other  cuts  at  right  angles  with  the  first  one, 
and  folding  back  the  two  sides  of  the  door  at  the 
opening.  If  you  want  a  window  where  you  can 
toss  hay  up  into  the  barn  loft,  it  may  be  cut  just 
above  the  door.  A  boy  who  has  seen  the  inside 
of  a  real  barn  will  be  able  to  cut  some  strips  of  the 
heavy  paper,  and  paste  them  together,  fastening 
them  to  the  back  wall  of  the  barn  to  show  where 
the  cow  and  the  horse  stalls  are. 

Some  more  strips  of  paper  may  be  pasted  to- 
gether to  form  a  barnyard  fence.  The  barn  may 
stand  on  the  nursery  table  with  the  fence  all 
around  it,  or  an  old  suit  box  of  mother's  will 
make  a  very  fine  barnyard  indeed.  The  sides  of 
the  box  should  be  ruled  with  a  pencil  to  look  like 
the  bars  in  a  real  barnyard  fence.  Then  you  can 
cut  the  bars  with  a  jack-knife,  or  some  sharp 
pointed  scissors.  When  you  have  finished  the 
suit-box  barnyard,  the  barn  may  stand  in  one  cor- 
ner of  it. 

Now  you  are  ready  to  cut  some  animals  to  live 
in  the  barn. 

The  pictures  in  your  animal  picture  books  will 
make  splendid  patterns  for  the  barnyard  animals. 


I04     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

Trace  the  animals  with  some  tissue  paper  and 
then  transfer  these  patterns  to  some  stiff  paper. 
When  you  have  cut  carefully  on  the  traced  out- 
line, you  may  paste  the  animal's  feet  to  cardboard 


Finished  Barn. 

standards  to  make  them  stand  up.  There  may  be 
cows,  and  horses,  and  a  donkey,  and  a  whole  flock 
of  barnyard  fowls.  Then  you  may  color  the 
barn  creatures  with  your  water  color  paints  or 
with  colored  pencils. 

You  can  make  a  fine,  large  farm  wagon,  also, 
to  stand  beside  the  barn.  To  make  the  wagon, 
you  should  fold  a  small  square  of  paper  as  you 
folded  the  large  one  for  the  barn.  Instead  of 
using  the  whole  square,  though,  as  you  did  for 
the  barn,  you  must  cut  off  a  strip  of  four  squares. 


THE  FARM  THE  SCISSORS  BUILT     105 

Then  make  the  short  cuts  as  you  did  for  the  barn 
in  the  ends  of  the  oblong  piece  of  paper.  Lay  the 
three  square  laps  which  you  have  made  by  the 
cutting  together,  and  paste  them — one  on  top  of 
the  other.  Cut  out  some  wheels  and  fasten  them 
to  the  cart.  Glue  on  some  cardboard  or  sticks 
for  shafts,  and  the  farm  wagon  is  done. 

If  you  want  a  wheelbarrow  in  the  barnyard, 
you  may  cut  one  of  mother's  old  spool  boxes  in 
half.  The  edges  where  you  made  the  cut  should 
be  curved.  A  wheel  made  of  an  empty  spool,  or 
a  cardboard  disk  may  be  fastened  to  one  end  with 
a  pin,  and  some  cardboard  legs  may  be  glued  to 
the  wheelbarrow. 

When  the  paper  farm  is  complete,  you  must 
harness  the  donkey  to  the  wagon,  and  set  him  to 
work.  Cut  out  some  of  the  gay  pictures  of  fruit 
and  vegetables  that  fill  the  seed  catalogues,  and 
load  the  wagon. 

Fill  the  wheelbarrow,  too.  Cut  out  some  pa- 
per overall  boys  to  visit  the  farm  and  spend  the 
summer.  There  is  no  end  to  the  plays  that  the 
paper  farm  will  suggest  to  you. 


MORE  BOX  PLAYS 

ONE  of  father's  empty  note  paper  boxes,  a 
starch  box,  a  box  that  held  spools  of  thread 
once — one,  or  all  of  these  will  furnish  delightful 
play  material  for  an  afternoon  in  the  house.  A 
box  has  not  finished  its  usefulness  when  its  con- 
tents are  gone.  It  is  strong  and  tough  often 
still,  and  ready  for  all  kinds  of  fun. 

Some  cardboard  boxes,  large  and  small,  will 
make  the  toy  farm  establishment  shown  in  the 
picture.  A  box  that  once  was  filled  with  writing 
paper  serves  for  the  barn.  The  box  stands  on 
one  side,  leaving  the  entire  front  open  that  toy 
animals  can  be  put  in  and  taken  out  with  greater 
ease  than  if  there  were  a  door.  The  long  edge 
of  the  box  cover  is  cut  to  fit  the  box,  inserted  and 
glued  in  place  to  form  the  front  of  the  stalls  which 
hold  the  toy  animals.  Shorter  lengths  of  the 
cover  edge  are  fitted  in  between  the  back  of  the 
box  and  this  front  partition  to  separate  the  stalls 
and  are  also  glued  in  place.  When  these  are  in, 
a  door  can  be  cut.     The  stalls  must  be  furnished 

107 


io8     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

with  little  grain  boxes  for  the  play  horses  to  eat 
from;  and  this  is  the  way  to  make  them. 

Measure  with  a  school  ruler  and  cut  out  a  four- 
inch  square  of  heavy  wrapping  paper.  Lay  the 
paper  on  a  table  in  front  of  you  and  fold,  first, 
the  front  edge  up  to  the  back,  and  then  the  front 
and  back  edges  down  to  meet  the  center  fold. 
Now  turn  the  paper  around,  repeating  the  fold- 
ing until  there  are  sixteen  squares.  Cut  off  a 
row  of  four  squares,  leaving  an  oblong  piece  of 
paper  that  contains  twelve  squares.  Make  two 
cuts  in  the  opposite  narrow  ends  of  the  paper,  one 
square  long  and  one  square  apart.  Fold  up  these 
squares  and  paste  them,  one  on  top  of  the  other, 
forming  a  little  oblong  box.  One  of  these  boxes 
pasted  to  the  back  of  each  stall  looks  just  like  a 
grain  trough,  and  may  be  filled  with  oats,  if  a 
country  boy  is  making  the  farm,  for  the  little 
horse  to  eat. 

Some  of  the  wrapping  paper  that  remains  after 
the  grain  boxes  are  finished  makes  the  roof  of  the 
barn.  Cut  a  strip  as  wide  as  the  barn  is  deep  and 
once  and  a  half  as  long.  Fold  it  once  through 
the  center  and,  at  the  ends,  fold  down  flaps  by 
means  of  which  the  roof  can  be  glued  to  the  top 
of  the  box  forming  a  hay  loft.  When  spring 
comes  you  can  cut  grass  blades  with  a  pair  of 


BOX  PLAYS  109 

gardener's  shears,  dry  them  hi  the  sun,  and  fill 
the  loft  of  this  little  hox  barn  with  real,  play  hay. 

A  box  in  which  the  apothecary  packs  his  pow- 
ders makes  the  little  farm  cart  in  the  picture,  and 
another  one  the  wheelbarrow.  No  cutting  is 
necessary  for  the  cart,  but  some  of  the  cardboard 
left  in  the  cover  of  the  note  paper  box  can  be 
used  for  wheels.  A  fifty-cent  bit  is  the  right  size 
for  the  wheels.  Lay  one  on  the  cardboard,  and 
draw  carefully  around  it  with  a  pencil,  cutting 
four  of  these  wheels  with  a  pair  of  sharp  scissors. 
Brass  paper  fasteners  will  make  strong  hubs  for 
the  little  wheels.  Pierce  a  hole  through  both 
wheel  and  box  before  inserting  the  fastener, 
though,  to  help  the  wheel  to  turn. .  A  strip  of  the 
box  cover  glued  to  the  front  of  the  cart  serves  for 
the  handle. 

The  wheelbarrow  is  just  a  little  more  difficult 
to  make  than  these  other  toys,  but  not  too  great 
a  task  for  a  child  with  clever  fingers.  A  section 
that  is  about  one  third  of  the  entire  length  is 
measured  and  cut  off  the  second  small  box,  and 
thrown  away.  It  is  the  remaining  two-thirds  of 
the  box  that  is  to  make  the  wheelbarrow.  The 
front,  open  edges  of  the  box  are  now  curved  like 
the  sides  of  a  real  wheelbarrow.  Two  narrow 
strips  of  the  cover,  or  two  small  sticks  are  glued 


no     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

to  the  front  of  the  wheelbarrow  for  handles,  and 
two  shorter  lengths  of  cardboard  or  two  very 
tiny  sticks  form  the  legs.  Another  cardboard 
circle  cut  the  same  size  as  those  used  for  the  cart 
wheels  is  inserted  by  means  of  a  knife  cut  in  the 
back  of  the  barrow  and  helps  it  to  trundle  along. 

The  box-built  cart  and  wheelbarrow  will  be 
found  most  useful  in  the  spring.  They  can  be 
loaded  with  little  green  apples,  tiny  brown  peb- 
bles that  look  like  toy  potatoes,  corn  kernels,  or 
peas.  They  will  be  strong  enough  to  last  a  whole 
season  and  help  to  carry  fodder  to  the  horse  who 
lives  in  the  box  barn. 

There  is  still  more  box  fun.  Ask  mother  for 
an  empty  cardboard  starch  box,  the  strong  kind 
covered  with  blue  paper,  and  see  what  a  fine  little 
toy  garage  it  will  make.  Almost  every  child  has 
a  toy  automobile  given  him  for  Christmas,  but  it 
is  so  apt  to  go  steering  away  with  its  own  gaso- 
line, and  losing  itself  somewhere  in  the  house  if 
a  child  has  no  special  place  in  which  to  keep  it. 

Take  the  cover  of  the  box  and  turn  the  box 
itself  bottom  side  up.  On  one  side,  right  in  the 
center,  draw  a  big  square.  The  lower  part  of 
the  square  should  come  on  the  very  outside  edge 
of  the  box  because  this  square  is  to  be  the  garage 
door.     The  door  should  be  made  in  two  parts,  so 


BOX  PLAYS  III 

as  to  open  very  wide  and  admit  the  automobile 
when  it  comes  steaming  along  in  a  great  hurry. 
To  make  this  double  door,  draw  a  perpendicular 
line  that  divides  the  square  into  two  parts. 
Then,  with  a  pair  of  sharp  scissors  cut  right  up 
this  line  to  the  top  of  the  square.  Next,  cut 
along  the  top  line  to  the  right  and  left  of  the  mid- 
dle line.  Folding  back  the  two  halves  that  have 
just  been  cut,  out  toward  the  outside  of  the  box, 
makes  two  little  doors  and  opens  the  front  of  the 
garage.  Square  windows  can  be  cut  in  the  sides 
of  the  box,  as  many  as  one  wishes. 

A  number  of  empty  thread  boxes  will  make  a 
splendid  train  of  cars,  strong  enough  to  drag  a 
whole  family  of  china  dolls  or  a  load  of  live  stock 
up  and  down  the  piazza  or  along  the  garden  path. 
Cardboard  circles  cut  from  the  covers  of  the 
thread  boxes  and  of  the  same  size  as  those  used 
for  the  wheels  of  the  toy  cart  make  the  car 
wheels.  They  are  fastened  on,  either  in  similar 
fashion  to  the  cart  wheels  by  means  of  paper  fas- 
teners, or  a  bone  collar  button  may  be  pushed 
through  cart  and  wheel,  helping  the  wheels  to 
revolve  more  easily.  One  of  the  thread  boxes 
has  the  cover  glued  on,  and  to  the  top  is  glued 
also  one  large  wooden  spool  for  the  engine's 
smoke  stack,  and  a  block  for  the  engineer's  cab. 


112     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

These  little  box  cars  are  coupled  together  by 
short  lengths  of  braided  cord.  Holes  are 
punched  in  the  ends  of  the  cars  with  an  awl  and 
the  cord  is  pushed  through  and  knotted  at  each 
end  to  hold  it  in  place. ,  A  long  piece  of  cord  is 
fastened  to  the  engine  and  is  used  to  draw  the 
cars  by. 

There  is  no  end  to  the  entertainment  and  fun 
to  be  had  from  a  pile  of  empty  boxes.  Just  get 
to  work  at  a  few  of  them  your  next  free  after- 
noon and  find  out  how  much  they  are  able  to  help 
you  in  your  play. 


(a)  the   ark 
(b)  cardboard  animals  who  live  in  the  ark 


A  RECIPE  FOR  A  NOAH'S  ARK 

IT  isn't  a  very  difficult  recipe  to  follow.  All 
the  stirring  you  need  to  do  will  be  when  you 
mix  up  some  flour  and  a  little  water  to  make  the 
paste.  That  is  the  first  ingredient.  Next  in  the 
recipe  comes  a  pair  of  sharp  scissors  and  a  pencil. 
After  that  you  must  find  some  sheets  of  heavy 
paper,  and  the  old  animal  picture  books  that  you 
thought  you  could  not  enjoy  any  longer  because 
the  leaves  were  coming  apart  and  the  pictures 
were  torn.  Spread  out  all  these  things  on  the 
nursery  table,  and  you  will  be  ready  to  begin  the 
Noah's  Ark. 

The  Ark  itself  is  to  be  a  big,  strong  envelope 
for  holding  all  the  wild  animals,  and  this  is  how 
you  must  make  it.  One  of  the  sheets  of  heavy 
paper  should  be  folded  in  half.  The  folded  edge 
forms  the  bottom  of  the  envelope.  Beginning 
with  this  folded  edge,  the  outline  of  the  Ark  is 
drawn  on  the  paper  with  your  pencil.  It  is  a 
simple  outline  to  draw — a  big  boat  with  curved 
ends,  and  a  sort  of  house  resting  on  the  top. 
Then,  holding  the  folded  edge  tightly  so  that  the 

113 


114     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

paper  will  not  slip,  cut  out  the  Ark.  The  ends  of 
the  Ark  should  be  bound  or  glued,  but  the  top  is 
left  open  that  the  animals  may  be  put  in. 

Windows  and  a  door  are  cut  in  the  Ark  for  the 
animals  will  want  to  look  out  as  they  sail  away 
on  their  wonderful  voyage,  and  the  Ark  may  be 
painted  bright  red  with  green  trimmings. 

Next  come  the  animals. 

The  pictures  of  the  animals  may  be  mounted  on 
one  of  the  remaining  sheets  of  heavy  paper,  so 
they  will  be  stiff  enough  to  stand  up  alone.  That 
is  one  way  of  making  enough  animals  to  fill  the 
Ark,  but  there  is  another  way  that  will  take  a  lit- 
tle longer,  but  will  prove  ever  so  much  more  fun. 

The  loose  pictures  from  the  book  of  animals 
should  be  fastened  to  the  table  with  thumb  tacks, 
or  tacked  to  a  drawing  board.  A  square  of  white 
tissue  paper  is  then  laid  over  each,  and  the  out- 
line of  the  animal's  body  is  traced  wath  a  soft 
pencil.  When  the  tracing  is  finished,  the  tissue 
paper  is  carefully  lifted  off  and  laid  with  the  plain 
side  up  on  some  stiff  white  cardboard.  The  out- 
line is  then  retraced  with  the  same  soft  pencil 
leaving  a  pattern  of  the  animal  on  the  cardboard. 
The  animal  is  then  cut  out,  and  painted  with  the 
nursery  water  colors. 

You  will  need  to  be  very  clever,  indeed,  to  paint 


A  RECIPE  FOR  A  NOAH'S  ARK      115 

the  animals  so  that  they  will  look  as  if  they  were 
just  fresh  from  the  jungle.  There  must  be  a 
tawny  lion  colored  with  brown  that  has  a  great 
deal  of  yellow  ocher  mixed  with  it.  The  pan- 
ther must  be  orange  with  big  yellow  spots,  and 
large  green  eyes.  The  tiger's  eyes  must  have 
yellow  mixed  with  the  green  paint  and  his  coat  is 
yellow  with  orange  stripes.  The  bear  is  brown 
and  the  kangaroo  is  tan. 

There  should  be  two  of  each  kind  of  animal. 
Now  how  shall  you  make  them  stand  up  and  walk 
like  real,  live  animals?  Some  very  tiny  bits  of 
wood  may  be  glued  to  their  feet.  That  is  one 
way  of  making  the  animals  stand.  Another  way 
is  to  make  a  narrow  ring  of  the  same  cardboard 
from  which  the  animals  were  cut.  The  animals' 
feet  are  then  glued  to  this  ring,  and  they  will 
really  stand. 

A  boy  will  be  able  to  make  more  animals  than 
he  can  count, — leopards,  monkeys,  zebras,  ele- 
phants, as  many  as  he  can  find  patterns  for  in  his 
toy  picture  books.  And  it  will  prove  such  fun 
to  draw  them  and  paint  them  that  he  will  be  kept 
busy  for  many  rainy  afternoons. 


HOW  TO  MAKE  YOUR  OWN  UNIFORM 

EVERY  boy  needs  to  be  a  soldier,  once  in  a 
while.  There  are  so  many  brave  deeds  to 
be  done  and  so  many  cowardly  things  to  fight, 
and  So  much  dark  to  walk  through  courageously, 
and  so  many  strange  dogs  and  cats,  and  shy  little 
girls  to  protect  with  all  the  gallantry  of  those  old, 
old  knights  who  lived  in  the  story-book  days.  A 
soldier  boy  is  never  late  for  school,  and  he  never, 
never  forgets  to  do  an  errand.  He  goes  to  bed 
alone  every  evening  at  eight,  even  if  the  stairway 
is  dark,  and  there  is  no  light  in  the  upstairs  hall 
to  chase  away  the  ghosts.  He  never  lies,  and  he 
is  always  cheerful.  He  knows  that  being  brave 
and  gallant  and  true  is  just  as  much  a  part  of  a 
soldier's  duty  as  marching,  and  drumming,  and 
saluting  Old  Glory. 

It  isn't  easy  to  be  a  soldier  though  in  a  plain, 
everyday  suit  of  clothes,  made  of  homespun  per- 
haps, and  patched,  and  dingy  brown  in  color.  A 
real  soldier  suit  cut  and  fitted  the  right  size  for  a 
boy  costs  more  money  than  there  is  in  the  boy's 
tin  bank.     What  is  the  boy  going  to  do  if  he 

117 


ii8     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

wants  more  than  anything  else  to  be  a  soldier  and 
he  hasn't  enough  money  to  buy  himself  a  suit? 

Any  boy  will  be  able  to  make  the  soldier  trap- 
pings shown  in  the  picture,  and  when  he  puts  on 
the  cap,  and  the  shield,  pins  the  epaulets  to  his 
shoulders  and  sticks  the  play  sword  in  his  belt,  he 
will  be  ready  for  the  life  of  a  little  soldier.  He 
can  work  or  play  cheerfully,  and  when  it  comes 
Saturday,  or  Washington's  Birthday,  he  will  be 
the  envy  of  all  the  other  boys  as  he  leads  them  in 
a  fine  parade,  dressed  in  his  gay,  home-made  sol- 
dier things. 

Suppose  we  make  the  soldier's  cap  first.  The 
diagram  marked  Fig.  i,  2,  3,  and  4,  shows  just 
how  to  do  the  construction.  A  bright  red  cap 
will  be  fine  for  the  soldier,  or  a  blue  one  just  the 
color  of  the  blue  field  in  the  flag.  There  is  a 
kind  of  tough,  half-heavy  paper  called  book  cover 
paper.  One  can  order  it  from  a  stationer's  shop 
or  a  printing  factory  at  a  cent  or  two  a  sheet. 
Some  sheets  of  this  will  make  the  boy's  own  cap 
and  enough  for  all  the  other  soldiers  in  the  regi- 
ment. A  piece  of  paper  that  measures  fourteen 
by  twenty  inches  is  the  foundation  for  the  soldier 
cap.  Fold  the  two  narrower  edges  together  until 
they  touch,  and  crease  the  paper  through  the  cen- 
ter as  shown  in  Fig.  i.     Then  with  the  paper  still 


YOUR  OWN  UNIFORM  119 

folded,  make  a  second  fold  as  shown  by  the  line  in 
Fig.  2.  This  line  forms  a  guide  line  for  the  next 
two  folds  which  make  the  point  of  the  cap.  Lay 
the  papers,  open,  as  in  Fig.  i,  on  a  table  with  the 
folded  edge  at  the  back;  fold  each  half  of  the 
back  edge  down  along  the  line  made  by  the  last 
folding.  Then  fold  up  and  crease  the  lower  open 
edges  forming  the  rim  of  the  cap.  The  rim 
should  be  glued  down  to  make  the  cap  firm  and 
strong.  A  feather  can  be  made  by  fringing 
strips  of  red  or  blue  crepe  paper  and  twisting 
them  around  a  narrow  strip  of  cardboard  which  is 
glued  inside  the  rim  of  the  cap.  A  turkey's 
feather  will  do  just  as  well,  or  a  bunch  of  hen's 
feathers,  or  a  cockade  made  of  red,  white,  and 
blue  ribbons  to  decorate  the  cap. 

A  boy  can  find  a  splendid  shield  pattern  in  the 
back  of  the  dictionary.  Copy  it,  and  enlarge  it 
until  it  is  the  right  size  to  cover  a  boy's  shirt 
bosom.  Then  draw  it  on  heavy  white  cardboard, 
and  cut  it  out.  A  good  size  for  the  shield  will  be 
eight  by  ten  inches.  When  it  is  cut  it  can  be 
decorated  with  stars  and  stripes  with  colored 
pencils  or  paints  as  shown  in  the  picture.  The 
stripes  are  drawn  carefully  with  a  ruler  and 
filled  in  with  color;  one  red  and  one  white. 
The  blue  ground  above  the  stripes  is  dotted  with 


I20     BOYS'  MAKE- AT-HOME  THINGS 

stars  cut  from  gilt  paper  and  pasted  on.  Two 
holes  are  punched  in  the  sides  of  the  shield,  and 
a  bit  of  cord  is  strung  in  by  means  of  which  the 
shield  may  be  hung  around  a  boy's  neck.  It  will 
make  his  heart  beat  faster  and  give  him  a  whole 
lot  of  courage  every  time  he  looks  down  at  its 
brave  stars  and  stripes. 

Now  for  the  sword  which  looks  like  a  for- 
midable weapon  in  the  picture,  but  is  really  not 
dangerous  at  all.  Every  boy  knows  how  to  roll 
a  narrow  piece  of  paper,  and  make  a  lamp 
lighter.  The  sword  that  is  part  of  this  home- 
made soldier  suit  is  made  in  just  the  same  way. 
Cut  some  narrow  strips  of  the  book  cover  paper 
and  join  them  with  glue  until  there  is  a  long 
strip.  Roll  this  strip  of  paper  tightly,  in  lamp 
lighter  fashion,  until  it  is  fifteen  inches  long. 
Then  press  it  flat  between  heavy  weights.  Roll 
a  second  strip  of  paper  for  a  length  of  six  inches 
and  glue  it  to  the  broad  end  of  the  sword  as  a 
handle.  These  swords  are  so  delightfully  easy  to 
make  that  a  boy  will  want  to  roll  a  dozen  after  he 
has  made  his  first  one,  and  he  can  arm  himself 
with  as  many  paper  poniards  as  an  Indian  chief 
has  arrows  in  his  quiver. 

The  soldier's  epaulets  are  just  five  by  two  inch 
strips  of  the  book  cover  paper  cut  to  fit  a  boy's 


^^^^..^^ 


immmmmmmrn'mm 


^mmmmmm^i^ 


^.  te 


m 


#:- 


(a)  pattern  for  soldier's  cap 
(b)  the  finished  uniform  :  cap,  shield,  sword  and  epaulets 


YOUR  OWN  UNIFORM  121 

shoulders  and  decorated  with  fringed  red  and 
blue  tissue  paper.  They  can  be  pinned  to  the 
soldier's  coat  shoulders  with  safety  pins  and  will 
make  an  ordinary  play  suit  quite  as  military  in 
appearance  as  any  uniform. 

When  the  boy  soldier  is  dressed  in  this  home- 
made uniform,  which  will  be  even  more  effective 
than  any  which  is  for  sale  in  a  toy  shop,  he  will 
be  ready  for  any  adventure  in  addition  to  the 
brave  prowess  of  everyday  life.  Perhaps  he  and 
the  other  boys  will  want  to  take  one  of  mother's 
old  blankets  and  two  or  three  clothes  poles  for  a 
tent,  and  tramp  as  far  as  the  woods  for  a  day  of 
real  scouting.  Every  soldier  has  a  knapsack  for 
carrying  provisions  and  this  play  soldier  will 
need  one,  too.  A  large,  flat  box  makes  a  fine 
knapsack.  Inside  can  be  packed  a  bundle  of 
sandwiches,  two  or  three  apples,  a  doughnut  or 
two,  and  a  piece  of  pie  or  a  big  slice  of  pound 
cake.  Wlien  the  box  is  packed,  tie  it  securely 
with  a  length  of  cord,  and  have  one  end  of  the 
cord  for  a  strap  by  means  of  which  the  knapsack 
is  hung  across  the  soldier's  back.  Roll  a  square 
of  old  blanket  and  tie  to  the  top  of  the  box  just 
as  a  real  soldier  fastens  his  blanket  to  his  knap- 
sack, and  the  make-believe  soldier  in  cap,  epau- 
lets, and  shield  can  draw  his  sword  and  start  off 
in  search  of  any  adventure. 


JOINTED  TOY  ANIMALS.     HOW 
TO  MAKE  THEM 

THEY  will  really  do  ''stunts/'  these  toys  in  the 
picture.  The  grasshopper  will  hop  if  you 
stand  him  up  on  a  table  and  give  him  a  chance. 
The  turtle  will  crawl  along  much  faster  than  an 
ordinary,  live  turtle.  The  crocodile  will  follow 
you  so  fast  that  you  will  surely  be  eaten  by  him 
unless  you  hurry.  What  fun  it  is  going  to  be  to 
play  with  these  live  toys,  but  first  a  child  must 
make  them,  and  as  many  more  as  he  likes. 

Clear  a  low  table  on  which  to  work  and  find 
some  heavy  cardboard  or  thick  water  color  paper 
from  which  to  construct  the  animals.  Bring  also, 
a  pair  of  strong  scissors,  a  sheet  of  tracing  paper, 
a  soft  lead  pencil  and  the  box  of  water  color 
paints  you  found  in  your  stocking  last  Christmas. 
These  are  all  the  tools  and  material  necessary  for 
making  a  barnful  of  animals.  Ask  mother  for 
some  porcelain  collar  buttons  to  fasten  the 
animals'  legs  to  the  bodies.  The  laundry  man 
brings  so  many  of  these  useless  studs  every  week 
and  a  crop  of  them  will  be  fine  for  jointing  the 

123 


124     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOiME  THINGS 


animals.  If  one  cannot  find  enough  collar  but- 
tons, a  box  of  tiny  brass  paper  fasteners  will 
serve  very  well  instead. 

Every  boy  knows  how  to  draw  a  few  animals, 
at  least  free  hand.     If  he  is  clever  enough  to  be 


Qrass^o/yocr's  SqUu, 


Hind  ^oi 


Tucrite's  3/icU 


Hc^at. 


l,e 


T 


TaiC 


able  to  do  this  just  by  watching  the  horses  out  in 
the  street,  or  the  tiger  in  the  Zoo,  or  the  kitten 
who  sits  in  front  of  the  nursery  fire,  washing  her 
face,  so  much  the  better.  He  will  not  need  any 
patterns.  The  child  who  finds  difficulty  in 
sketching  an  animal  free  hand  will  have  to  trace 
his  patterns  from  a  book,  or  a  toy  animal.     Often 


JOINTED  TOY  ANIMALS  125 

one  of  the  nursery  toy  animals  may  be  laid  flat 
on  the  cardboard  and  its  outline  drawn  and  cut. 
Noah's  Ark  animals,  if  they  are  large,  make  ex- 
cellent patterns  for  a  child  to  copy.  If  one  has 
no  toys  of  the  right  size,  the  tracing  paper  may  be 
laid  over  the  picture  of  an  animal  in  a  farm  pic- 
ture book,  or  a  book  that  tells  about  the  jungle,  or 
a  book  on  Natural  History.  When  the  outline  of 
the  animal  has  been  neatly  traced  on  the  tracing 
cloth,  it  should  be  transferred  to  the  cardboard 
from  which  the  animal  is  to  be  made.  When  a 
child  has  obtained  a  clear  outline  in  this  way,  he 
may  next  proceed  to  make  the  animals  alive.  _ 

First,  he  must  decide  just  the  location  of  the 
animal's  joints.  Where  are  the  tiger's  paws  fas- 
tened to  his  legs?  Where  are  the  grasshopper's 
knees?  Where,  hidden  underneath  his  shell  are 
the  turtle's  funny  little  flat  feet  attached  to  his 
body?  Then,  using  the  pattern  which  has  just 
been  made,  a  new  pattern  of  the  creature's  body 
is  made,  then  a  pattern  of  a  leg,  a  tail,  an  ear,  and 
these  sections  are  all  cut  from  the  cardboard,  sep- 
arately, with  scissors  or  the  sharp  jack-knife.  In 
cutting  out  legs  and  paws,  they  should  be  made 
always  a  little  longer  than  the  original  pattern  to 
allow  for  the  joint  by  which  they  are  fastened  to 
the  body.     As  soon  as  all  the  parts  of  an  animal 


126     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

have  been  cut  from  the  cardboard,  they  should 
be  laid  in  place  and  holes  punched  with  a  coarse 
needle  or  an  awl  at  the  joints.  If  the  animal  is 
a  huge  one,  the  collar  buttons  may  be  slipped  in 
these  holes  to  hold  the  sections  together.  In  the 
case  of  the  toy  creatures  shown  in  the  picture,  pa- 
per fasteners  were  used.  When  these  joints 
have  been  made  the  toys  will  stand  or  sit,  cock 
their  ears  or  wag  their  tails,  leap  or  run — in  fact 
they  will  do  anything  a  boy  wishes. 

The  paints  come  next.  It  will  be  great  fun  to 
make  the  toy  animals  just  the  right  color.  A 
tiger  may  be  such  a  gorgeous  yellow  with  bright 
green  eyes  and  black  stripes.  The  grasshopper 
may  be  either  green  or  a  warm  brown,  and  the 
turtle's  house  which  he  must  always  carry  around 
on  his  back  should  be  painted  gray. 

These  jointed  animals  may  be  persuaded  to  act 
out  the  children's  favorite  stories  and  will  fur- 
nish a  new  kind  of  fun  for  rainy  afternoons  in  the 
house. 

Little  Brer  Rabbit  can  be  easily  made  of  white 
cardboard  from  the  pictures  of  Peter  Rabbit  or 
the  rabbit  pictures  on  an  Easter  card.  Then 
Brer  Rabbit  and  Old  Man  Terrapin  may  act  out 
on  the  nursery  table  the  famous  race  that  Uncle 
Remus  has  told  us  about.     A  shoe  box  may  be 


JOINTED  TOY  ANIMALS  127 

used  for  a  miniature  stage  if  it  is  placed  on  its 
side  on  a  table,  some  scenery  is  painted  in  at  the 
back  and  a  little  cloth  curtain  hung  at  the  front. 
Through  a  hole  in  one  end  the  jointed  animals 
may  be  put  in  and  they  will  perform  most  ac- 
ceptably for  an  audience  of  dolls. 

Two  children  playing  together,  or  two  groups 
of  children  can  each  make  a  set  of  jointed  animals 
and  then  pose  them  to  illustrate  a  favorite  story, 
the  other  child  or  group  guessing  the  story  illus- 
trated. 

Many  other  plays  will  suggest  themselves  when 
one  has  a  set  of  animals  which  are  really  alive 
and  which  a  child  has  made,  all  himself. 


YOUR  OWN  CIRCUS 

IT  is  going  to  be  a  circus  small  enough  to  fit  in 
any  house.  In  fact,  it  will  be  possible  to  put 
it  within  the  boundaries  of  an  old  table.  Because 
you  can't  always  have  an  outdoor  show  is  just  the 
reason  that  you  are  going  to  plan  this  fine,  di- 
minutive one  in  the  house.  It  may  take  several 
days  to  get  it  ready,  but  once  your  indoor  circus 
is  finished,  you  will  find  it  almost  if  not  quite  as 
interesting  as  a  real  one. 

First,  find  an  old  table  somewhere  to  be  used 
as  a  circus  ground.  A  pine  table  will  serve 
nicely,  and  if  you  can  find  some  old  green  muslin 
with  which  to  cover  it,  you  will  discover  that  it 
looks  exactly  like  the  grass  in  the  field  where  the 
real  circus  is  held.  Tack  the  muslin  to  the  under 
side  of  the  table  top  so  that  it  will  not  wrinkle 
and  interfere  with  the  circus  parade.  Now  you 
are  ready  for  the  rope  fence  which  always  en- 
closes a  circus  ground. 

In  the  four  corners  of  the  table  bore,  with  a 
gimlet,  through  the  canvas,  some  holes  that  are 
just  the  right  size  to  hold  dowel  sticks,  five  inches 

129 


I30     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

long.  You  can  buy  these  dowel  sticks  of  a  car- 
penter in  foot  lengths  at  a  few  cents  each.  Glue 
the  posts  in  the  holes  which  you  have  bored  in 
the  table  and  also  bore  extra  holes  for  two  more 
about  a  foot  apart  in  the  front  of  the  table. 
These  last  little  posts  are  for  the  gate  to  your  cir- 
cus ground.  When  the  glue  has  set  and  the  posts 
are  perfectly  dry,  tie  cord  to  one,  near  the  top, 
and  then  stretch  it  to  another,  knotting  it,  until 
you  have  finished  the  rope  fence  that  encloses  the 
circus  ground.  If  you  like  you  can  have  two  or 
three  rows  of  cord,  and  you  can  print  a  little  cir- 
cus sign  to  pin  to  the  gate.     It  may  read: 

THE  GREAT  AND  ONLY  ANIMAL  SHOW 

Clowns,  Wild  Beasts,  and  the  Biggest  Ele- 
phant in  the  World. 
Performances  Every  Afternoon  and  Evening. 
Admission,  Adults,  two  pins.  Children,  alone, 
one  pin. 
Come  One.     Come  All! 

All  around  the  edges  of  the  bill  you  can  draw 
pictures  of  wild  animals  with  your  colored  pen- 
cils. 

The  circus  ground  will  look  very  much  pleas- 
anter  if  you  have  a  few  trees  standing  about  on 


YOUR  OWN  CIRCUS  131 

the  edges,  and  these  trees  will  be  useful,  also,  to 
tie  some  of  your  wild  beasts  to. 

Meat  skewers  will  do  nicely  for  the  tree  trunks 
if  you  fringe  ever  so  many  narrow,  doubled  strips 
of  green  tissue  paper,  and  wind  them  with  it,  fas- 
tening the  fringes  to  the  meat  skewer  with  mu- 
cilage. The  green  paper  flutters  in  the  air  quite 
like  real  foliage  in  the  breeze  on  circus  day,  and 
the  little  trees  will  stand  up  nicely  if  you  stick  the 
end  of  each'skewer  inside  an  empty  spool,  glue- 
ing it  there  so  that  it  will  stay  in  place. 

Did  you  think  that  you  were  never  coming  to 
the  tent  for  your  circus?  Well,  here  it  is,  and 
the  picture  shows  you  just  how  to  construct  it. 
You  will  need  to  enlarge  the  diagram  several 
times  the  size  which  you  see  in  the  picture,  but 
that  is  easily  accomplished  by  means  of  your 
ruler  and  lead  pencil.  Use  some  sort  of  tough, 
firm  paper  for  the  tent.  Water  color  paper  will 
be  splendid  because  you  can  get  out  your  paint 
box  and  paint  pictures  of  wild  men  and  palm  trees 
and  animals  on  the  sides.  If  you  have  no  water 
color  paper,  use  brown  bristol  board.  The  latter 
makes  a  fine  stiff  tent.  Cut  out  the  top  and  sides 
as  carefully  as  you  can,  bend  them,  and  glue  or 
paste  them  together.  Then  stand  the  tent  up  in 
the  center  of  your  circus  ground. 


u 


[132] 


YOUR  OWN  CIRCUS  133 

The  animals,  next. 

There  are  patterns  for  them,  too,  which  you 
will  see  in  the  picture  and  which  are  so  simple  as 
to  be  very  easily  enlarged.     The  animals  can  be 
made  of  the  same  kind  of  paper  which  you  used 
for  the  tent,  and  then  painted,  the  elephant  gray, 
the  camel  a  soft  brown  and  the  deer  a  dull  reddish 
color,  or  you  can  cut  them  out  of  wood.     This  is 
perhaps  the  better  way.     Use  thin  pieces  of  very 
soft,  white  wood.     An  excellent  wood  is  holly  or 
soft  pine,  in  the  thin  sheets  which  are  used  for 
jig  saw  work,  and  for  making  picture  puzzles. 
Draw  the  pattern  of  the  animal  which  you  wish 
to  make  first  very  carefully  on  your  piece  of 
wood.     Give  your  best  jack-knife  two  or  three 
turns  on  a  grindstone  so  that  it  will  be  nice  and 
sharp,  and  then  go  to  work  cutting  the  animal, 
not  your  fingers.     Make  as  many  animals  as  you 
can,  and  glue  their  feet  to  tiny  blocks  of  kindling 
wood  so  that  they  will  stand.     Touch  them  up  a 
little  with  paint,  too,  to  make  them  look  wilder. 

If  you  want  cages  for  your  animals  use  empty 
spool  boxes,  covers  and  all.  Cut  bars  in  the  cover 
of  each  box  with  your  jack-knife,  stand  the  Ini- 
mal  inside  and  put  the  cover  back  on.  The  box 
rests  on  cardboard  wheels  which  are  glued  to  the 
long,  narrow  side  of  the  box. 


134     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

A  clever  boy  will  be  able  to  invent  the  acts  for 
the  circus.  One  can  rig  up  trapezes  and  flying 
swings  and  tight  rope  appliances  very  easily  by 
using  strings  and  spools.  One  can  paint  flags 
of  all  nations  or  cut  them  from  colored  tissue 
paper  to  float  from  the  roof  of  the  tent,  and  this 
little  home-made  circus  will  be  so  attractive  that 
all  the  other  boys  will  want  to  make  similar  ones 
just  as  soon  as  they  see  it. 


BEAD  WORK  FOR  BOYS 

THERE  is  not  a  boy  but  has  gazed  at  the 
alluring  Indian  suits  in  the  toy  shop  win- 
dows, wishing  that  he  were  able  to  buy  one.  It 
is  so  much  easier  to  give  a  proper  war  whoop,  and 
scare  a  few  of  the  fellows,  and  execute  a  wild 
war  dance,  or  even  sit  by  a  camp  fire  in  the  woods 
telling  stories,  if  only  he  is  dressed  like  a  real,  live 
Indian. 

Why  not  make  one's  own  Indian  suit  ? 

It  IS  perfectly  possible  for  a  boy  to  make  him- 
self a  fine  Indian  shirt,  fringed,  and  decorated 
with  beads;  a  pair  of  beaded  moccasins  and 
a  bead  belt  in  which  may  be  thrust  a  scalping 
knife,  a  bow  and  arrow  and  a  few  other  imple- 
ments of  war.  He  may  hang  all  his  scalps  to  the 
belt,  too. 

The  only  materials  needed  for  the  suit  will  be 
three  or  four  large  chamois  skins — or  two  yards 
of  brown  denim  if  the  chamois  seems  too  expen- 
sive for  the  young  Indian's  pocketbook — some 
red  and  blue  porcelain  beads  which  may  be  bought 
in  strings  at  any  dry  goods  store  for  a  few  cents 

135 


136     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

a  string,  a  spool  of  heavy  cotton  thread,  and  a 
httle  patience.  With  a  coarse  needle,  and  a  pair 
of  scissors  the  boy  will  be  ready  for  work.  Mak- 
ing an  Indian  suit  will  fill  a  great  many  rainy 
afternoons  full  of  fun. 

The  bead  belt  is  the  best  part  of  the  suit  to  be- 
gin with  because  a  boy  can  experiment  with  de- 
signs as  he  weaves  the  beads  together,  and  he  will 
be  able  to  form  an  idea  of  the  pattern  he  wishes 
to  use  when  he  embroiders  the  shirt  and  the  moc- 
casins. One  will  need  a  bead  loom  on  which  to 
make  the  belt.  These  looms  may  be  bought  at  a 
toy  shop,  but  that  is  not  really  necessary.  An 
old  box  will  do  quite  as  well  for  a  loom.  The 
belt  in  the  picture  was  started  on  the  cover  of  an 
old  shoe  box,  and  a  cigar  box  with  the  cover  and 
the  bottom  removed  makes  a  fine  bead  loom.  In 
making  a  loom  from  a  wooden  box,  very  small 
screw  eyes  may  be  put  in  the  ends  of  the  loom, 
about  one  quarter  of  an  inch  apart  to  hold  the 
threads.  In  the  card  board  cover  shown  in  the 
picture,  the  warp  threads — those  are  the  length- 
wise threads  in  the  weaving — are  held  in  place 
by  pins  to  which  they  were  knotted  at  the  ends  of 
the  loom. 

Fourteen  threads  are  strung  on  the  loom  for  a 
section  of  the  belt,  as  tightly  as  the  card  board 


BEAD  WORK  FOR  BOYS  137 

will  allow  of  their  being  stretched.  A  needle  is 
then  threaded  with  the  coarse  cotton  thread,  and 
the  end  is  tied  to  the  warp  thread  at  the  top  of 
the  loom  at  the  left.  The  needle  is  then  brought 
out  to  the  right  below  the  warp  strands,  thirteen 
red  beads — one  less  bead  than  the  number  of  the 
warp  strands,  remember — are  strung  on  the 
thread,  and  the  beads  are  pressed  up  between  the 
warp  strands  so  that  one  bead  comes  between 
every  two  threads.  The  needle  is  then  run  back 
from  right  to  left  through  the  beads  above  the 
warp  threads.  This  makes  one  row  of  beads  se- 
curely woven  to  the  warp.  For  the  second  row 
of  beads,  six  red  beads,  one  blue  one  and  six  more 
red  ones  are  strung,  the  blue  bead  forming  the 
beginning  of  a  simple  design.  The  third  row  has 
three  blue  beads  in  the  center,  the  fourth  has  five, 
the  fifth  three,  and  the  sixth  one,  completing  the 
design.  A  row  of  red  beads  is  then  woven  in, 
after  which  the  unit  of  design  was  repeated. 

Many  different  designs  will  suggest  themselves 
to  the  boy  bead  weaver.  A  checker  board  pat- 
tern of  squares  may  be  used,  there  may  be  a  plain 
border  at  the  edges  of  the  belt,  or  a  Greek  fret 
may  be  introduced  with  charming  effect. 

When  the  section  of  the  belt  shown  in  the  pic- 
ture is  finished,  it  may  be  removed  from  the  loom. 


138     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

the  ends  of  thread  being  tied  securely  about  the 
last  row  of  beads.  A  second  section  is  strung  on 
the  loom,  blue  beads  being  strung  first  with  a  de- 
sign of  red  in  the  center.  Four  sections,  two  red 
and  two  blue,  may  be  sewed  together  to  complete 
the  gay  little  Indian  belt. 

Now    for    the    Indian's    shirt.     The    pattern 


Indian  Shirt  Pattern. 


which  is  shown  in  the  picture  should  be  enlarged 
according  to  the  scale,  one  and  one  half  inches 
to  a  foot.  If  chamois  skin  is  used  for  the  shirt, 
probably  one  large  and  two  smaller  skins  will 


BEAD  WORK  FOR  BOYS  139 

need  to  be  joined  to  give  enough  material,  but 
if  the  shirt  is  made  of  brown  denim,  the  pat- 
tern may  be  laid  on  a  length  of  the  cloth,  without 
piecing,  and  the  shirt  is  then  cut.  It  will  not  be 
necessary  to  sew  any  seams  in  the  shirt.  It  is 
folded  over  at  the  neck  opening,  and  tied  on  the 
small  boy  with  narrow  strips  of  leather  indicated 
in  the  picture.  One  strip  of  leather  is  tied  under 
the  arms,  and  the  other  about  the  hips.  The 
bead  embroidery  finishes  the  neck  and  sides  of 
the  shirt.  To  do  this  embroidery,  a  needle  is 
threaded  with  coarse  linen  thread,  and  knotted  at 
the  end.  Starting  at  the  right  of  the  neck,  and 
close  to  the  edge,  the  needle  is  brought  through 
to  the  outside  of  the  shirt.  Three  beads  are 
then  strung.  They  are  held  down  close  to  the 
shirt  and  the  needle  is  thrust  through  the  cloth  to 
the  inside  again.  The  needle  is  then  brought 
through,  close  to  the  first  stitch,  three  more  beads 
are  strung,  and  the  embroidery  is  continued. 
Red  and  blue  beads  should  be  alternated  to  form 
a  design.  This  stitch  described  is  the  simplest 
one  for  a  boy  to  use  and  it  is  most  efifective  also, 
being  the  stitch  used  by  the  Indians  when  they 
embroidered  their  own  shirts,  moccasins,  and 
leggins. 

In  starting  the  embroidery  for  the  sides  of  the 


I40     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

shirt,  the  bead  border  should  be  started  about  two 
inches  from  the  edge,  this  margin  being  fringed 
carefully  with  sharp  scissors  after  the  beads  are 
all  sewed  on.  A  design  of  beads,  which  may  be 
varied  according  to  the  taste  and  skill  of  the  boy 
who  makes  it,  may  ornament  the  front  and  the 
back  of  the  shirt. 

Moccasins   sound  very  difficult  to  make,  but 
here  is  a  pattern  all  in  one  piece,  with  no  trouble- 


Moccasin  Pattern.  Finished  Moccasin. 

some  uppers  and  soles  to  be  fitted  together. 
Chamois  skin  should  be  used,  if  possible,  for  the 
moccasins,  or  the  light  weight  leather  which  may 
be  bought  at  a  craft  shop  for  art  work  and  can 
easily  be  sewed.  When  the  pattern  of  the  moc- 
casin which  is  shown  in  the  picture  has  been  en- 
larged according  to  the  scale — three  inches  to  a 
foot — it  is  laid  on  the  leather  or  chamois,  and  a 


A    BEAD   LOOM    MADE   OF   A   BOX   COVER 


BEAD  WORK  FOR  BOYS  141 

pair  of  moccasins  is  cut  out.  It  will  be  found 
easier  to  embroider  the  toe  before  the  moccasin  is 
sewed.  The  sewing  which  holds  the  moccasin  in 
shape  is  done  with  very  coarse  thread  in  an  over 
and  over  stitch.  Narrow  strips  of  leather  may 
be  used,  also,  for  the  joining,  in  which  case,  holes 
should  be  punched  with  a  stiletto  and  awl  to  admit 
of  the  leather  being  passed  through  the  material. 
After  this  joining  is  completed,  the  flap  indicated 
in  the  picture  is  folded  over  on  the  dotted  lines, 
and  it  is  embroidered  in  the  same  pattern  used 
to  finish  the  neck  and  sides  of  the  shirt. 

If  there  is  enough  of  the  material  that  was  used 
for  the  shirt  left,  two  long,  straight  pieces  may 
be  cut,  embroidered  on  the  long  edges,  fringed, 
and  tied  about  the  Indian's  legs  for  leggins. 

A  most  gorgeous  headdress  may  be  made  for 
the  Indian  from  crepe  paper  feathers.  The 
feathers  are  made  by  fringing  crepe  paper  and 
pasting  this  fringe  to  short  lengths  of  flower  wire. 
Gilt  paint  will  make  the  feathers  even  more  glo- 
rious, and  when  a  number  of  them  are  finished, 
red,  and  blue,  and  green,  and  yellow— all  the 
rainbow  colors  in  fact— they  may  be  wired  to  a 
headdress  made  of  stifT  cambric  or  heavy  card- 
board. 

What  shall  we  call  the  boy  when  he  is  dressed 


142     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

in  his  home-made  chieftain's  suit,  which  will  be 
more  effective,  even,  than  the  one  he  saw  in  the 
toy  shop?  Hiawatha,  perhaps,  as  he  dons  his 
war  paint  and  feathers  and  starts  in  search  of  all 
sorts  of  interesting  Indian  adventures. 


HOW  TO  MAKE  STICK  PICTURES 

IT  is  a  new  sort  of  fun  that  a  boy  can  have  with 
just  plain,  everyday,  ordinary  sticks.  You 
can  play  at  being  an  Indian,  too,  at  the  same  time 
for  the  Indians  did  it  first  and  called  it  picture- 
writing. 

Suppose  you  were  an  Indian  child  in  paint  and 
feathers,  and  moccasins.  Suppose  that  you  never 
went  to  school,  and  never  had  seen  a  piece  of  pa- 
per or  a  lead  pencil.  Then  suppose  that  you 
wanted  to  write  a  letter  to  your  little  red  cousin 
who  lived  on  the  other  side  of  the  forest  in  an- 
other tribe,  far  away  from  yours. 

Of  course,  you  have  ever  so  much  to  tell  your 
little  red  cousin.  You  want  him  to  know  that  the 
big  chief,  your  father,  has  just  put  up  a  fine  new 
wigwam  of  skins  for  you  to  live  in,  a  more  beauti- 
ful wigwam  than  any  other  in  the  village.  You 
want  the  cousins  to  know,  too,  that  the  sap  has  be- 
gun to  run  in  the  maple  tree  and  soon  your  moth- 
er, Laughing  Water,  will  get  out  the  big  kettle 
and  build  a  fire  of  pine  branches  and  boil  the  fresh, 
sweep  sap  into  maple  sirup.     Then  there  is  a  still 

143 


144     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOiME  THINGS 

more  wonderful  thing  to  tell  your  little  red  cousin. 
In  the  full  of  the  last  moon,  a  strange  water  crea- 
ture was  seen  in  the  river  in  front  of  your  wig- 
wam. It  was  white,  and  large,  and  it  had  huge 
white  wings  that  the  wind  filled.  It  was  a  pale 
face  ship — much  larger,  and  very  different  from 
an  Indian's  canoe. 

Now,  how  are  you  going  to  tell  all  these  excit- 
ing things  to  the  far-away  little  red  cousin  when 
you  have  no  pencil  and  no  paper  for  a  letter,  and 
there  is  no  postman  and  no  railway  train  to  carry 
a  letter  to  the  other  tribe?  Why,  it  is  going  to 
be  the  easiest  thing  in  the  world  to  do.  Make 
some  stick  pictures  that  will  tell  all  the  stories 
that  you  would  like  to  write  if  you  only  knew  how. 

In  the  forest  there  is  a  fine  old  hunting  ground. 
You  know  just  the  spot  where  all  the  tribes  gather 
and  build  their  great  camp  fires,  and  cook  the 
game,  and  dance  in  the  evening  when  the  hunt  is 
done.  Before  another  moon  your  cousin's  tribe 
will  be  there.  And  you  are  going  now,  to  the 
hunting  ground,  to  make  some  stick  pictures  for 
that  little  Indian  boy  to  find.  Then  he  will  under- 
stand that  you  have  been  there  and  you  were 
thinking  of  him. 

Jump  into  your  canoe  and  paddle  down  the 
river.     Tie  the  canoe  fast  to  the  bank,  then  jump 


HOW  TO  MAKE  STICK  PICTURES     145 

out  and  plunge  into  the  forest.  You  know  the 
way  to  go,  for  the  moss  grows  on  the  north  side 
of  the  trees.  There,  you  have  come  to  a  cleared 
spot  in  the  deep,  deep  woods.  There  isn't  any 
sound  save  the  chattering  of  the  chipmunks. 
They  won't  disturb  your  picture  writing.  Now 
you  may  go  to  work. 

You  break  many  of  the  straight,  stout  twigs 
from  the  pine  tree.  Some  of  the  twigs  must  be 
long,  and  others  you  will  break  off  short  to  fit 
together  where  there  are  corners  in  the  pictures. 
There  is  a  smooth  bed  of  moss  under  the  pine  tree. 
That  will  be  a  splendid  place  for  your  picture 
writing.  First,  you  will  make  a  picture  of  the 
new  wigwam.  Just  two  long  sticks,  crossed  at 
the  top  will  make  the  outline,  and  you  put  two 
short  sticks  together  to  show  the  door.  Now,  for 
the  maple  tree.  You  will  lay  a  long  stick  down 
on  the  moss  to  show  the  outline  of  the  tree. 
Some  shorter  sticks,  laid  close  to  the  sides  of  the 
longer  stick  make  the  branches.  The  pale  face 
ship  may  be  more  difficult  to  make,  but  you  will 
be  able  to  outline  the  picture  with  your  sticks. 
There  are  the  sloping  sides  of  the  ship  and  there 
are  the  sails. 

The  picture  letter  is  done.  When  the  little 
cousin  finds  it  there  in  the  woods  he  will  know  all 


146     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

about  the  new  wigwam,  and  the  maple  sirup,  and 
the  strange  ship.  You  travel  home  again  if  you 
are  a  little  Indian  boy,  and  you  don't  mind  in  the 
least  not  having  a  pencil,  or  a  postman. 

How  may  a  little  pale  face  child  play  at  picture 
writing? 

If  it  is  vacation  time,  you  can  gather  sticks  in 
the  woods  just  as  the  little  Indian  boy  did.  Be 
sure  that  they  are  long,  straight  ones,  though. 
You  may  sit  in  the  grass  and  lay  your  stick  pic- 
tures on  the  lawn,  or  you  may  make  them  on  the 
floor  of  the  piazza. 

If  you  want  to  make  stick  pictures  in  the  house 
on  a  stormy  day,  ask  mother  to  let  you  use  her 
sewing  table  to  put  them  on,  or  you  can  lay  them 
on  the  kitchen  floor,  or  the  nursery  hearth  rug. 
For  the  indoor  stick  pictures,  you  can  use  burnt 
matches,  or  toothpicks,  or  clothes  pins — anything 
long  and  straight  will  do.  You  can  buy  colored 
sticks  at  a  kindergarten  shop,  and  those  will  be 
the  best  of  all  for  stick  pictures.  And  if  you  have 
a  game  of  jackstraws,  the  straws  may  be  used 
for  the  pictures. 

The  Indians  had  no  picture  books,  but  you  have. 
You  can  play  a  game  with  the  stick  pictures. 
You  can  make  pictures  to  illustrate  one  of  your 
favorite  stories,  and  then  ask  the  boy  or  girl  who 


HOW  TO  MAKE  STICK  PICTURES     147 

is  playing  with  you  to  try  and  guess  what  the 
story  is  that  fits  the  picture. 

A  splendid  story  to  illustrate  with  stick  pic- 
tures is  The  Three  Bears. 

Here  is  their  house. 

Here  is  the  table  that  held  the  three  bowls  of 
porridge. 

Here  are  their  three  chairs. 

And  here  are  their  three  beds. 


A  TOY  INDIAN  VILLAGE 

JUST  fancy  an  encampment  of  real,  live  In- 
dians in  the  house  in  a  little  Indian  village 
that  you  made  all  yourself!  It  will  be  the  best 
sort  of  fun  to  make  the  camp,  and  when  it  is  done 
it  will  be  a  fine,  new  plaything  for  all  winter  long, 
as  the  toy  Indians  have  sham  fights,  and  May 
dances  and  tell  each  other  stories  around  their 
tiny  camp  fires.  And  this  is  the  way  to  make  the 
fascinating  toy. 

A  long,  shallow  tin  with  very  narrow  sides  is 
the  foundation  for  the  Indian  village.  The  tin- 
smith has  large  sheets  of  bright  new  tin,  and  he 
will  make  you  one  of  these  shallow  tin  trays  for 
just  a  few  cents.  The  florist  will  give  you  a  bas- 
ket of  soft,  black  earth — enough  to  fill  the  tray — 
and  you  can  mold  and  pat  it  into  tiny  hills  and 
queer  little  valleys,  and  long  foot  paths,  no  wider 
than  your  little  finger  for  the  toy  Indians  to  trail 
up  and  down. 

You  must  take  a  long  walk  now  as  far  as  the 
woods  to  find  some  sprays  of  white  pine,  hemlock, 
and  spruce  for  the  Indians'  trees.     Gather  some 

149 


ISO     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

little  straight  twigs,  too,  for  wigwam  founda- 
tions, and  if  the  ground  is  still  bare,  pick  up  some 
of  the  prettiest  pebbles  you  can  find  for  make-be- 
lieve rocks  in  the  Indian  encampment.  With 
your  jack-knife  strip  from  the  birch  tree  just  a 
very  little  bark  to  make  an  Indian  canoe — not 
much,  for  it  takes  a  birch  a  long,  long  time  to 
grow  more  bark.  Then  you  may  go  home  again, 
but  on  the  way,  buy  a  penny's  worth  of  grass  seed 
at  the  florist's.  What  are  you  to  do  with  all  these 
things  ? 

Just  listen,  and  you  will  find  out. 

Scatter  the  grass  seed  very  softly  over  the 
earth  in  your  tray  and  sprinkle  it  with  the  rubber 
bulb  sprayer  that  mother  uses  for  her  house  ferns. 
You  would  not  believe  it  perhaps,  but  in  a  week  or 
ten  days  your  little  Indian  camp  ground  will  be 
covered  with  a  carpet  of  soft,  green  grass  really 
growing  in  the  earth.  After  you  have  planted 
the  grass  seed,  stick  the  little  evergreen  trees  in 
the  earth  and  lay  your  pebbles  about  as  if  they 
really  belonged  there  on  the  ground.  In  one 
corner  of  the  tray,  if  mother  is  willing,  you  may 
sink  a  shallow,  round  cake  tin  filled  with  water  to 
make  a  miniature  lake,  and  about  the  lake  you 
can  put  a  border  of  stones  covered  with  the  moss 
that  comes  in  a  box  of  Noah's  Ark  animals.     The 


A  TOY  INDIAN  VILLAGE  151 


Pattern  for  Toy  Wigwam, 


152     BOYS'  MAKE- AT-HOME  THINGS 

tray  of  earth  is  quite  transformed  now  into  a  tiny 
forest. 

Under  the  trees  the  Indian  wigwams  are  scat- 
tered. Making  these  tepees  is  ever  so  much  fun 
and  will  fill  a  long  winter  evening  after  your  les- 
sons are  learned  and  you  have  the  library  table 
free  to  work  on.  Fig.  i  shows  you  how  to  cut 
out  an  Indian  wigwam,  and  heavy  dark  brown 
paper  or  brown  canvas  is  a  strong  material  to  use. 
When  the  wigwam  is  cut,  it  may  be  decorated 
with  paints  in  any  design  you  wish.  A  border  of 
small  squares  is  an  attractive  decoration,  or  some 
grotesque  heads  and  bows  and  arrows  may  be 
painted  on.  Gold  or  red  paper  stars  and  cres- 
cents and  suns  may  be  cut  and  glued  to  the  outside 
of  the  wigwam,  forming  a  very  gay  scheme  of 
trimming  it,  or  very  tiny  autumn  leaves  may  be 
waxed  and  glued  on.  When  a  number  of  these 
little  wigwams  have  been  cut,  decorated,  and 
glued  together,  as  shown  in  Fig.  2,  place  them  in 
your  play  forest,  using  two  or  three  twigs  crossed 
for  supports,  the  ends  extending  through  the 
hole  in  the  top  of  the  wigwam. 

Now  you  can  make  the  Indians.  English  wal- 
nuts form  the  heads.  These  are  just  the  right 
size,  brown  enough  for  the  complexion  of  any  In- 
dian, and  nicely  wrinkled,  too.     With  a  sharp 


A  TOY  INDIAN  VILLAGE  153 

jack-knife  smooth  down  a  few  of  the  wahiut's 
wrinkles,  and  carve  the  Indian's  features,  trying 
to  give  him  high  cheek  bones.  Color  his  cheeks 
with  vermilion  and  paint  his  face,  too,  in  as  many 
different  colors  as  you  like.  A  roll  of  stiff  paper 
or  cloth  glued  to  the  nut  head  makes  the  Indian's 
body,  about  which  is  wrapped  a  blanket  of  fringed 
crepe  paper,  red  flannel,  or  any  sort  of  gay  stuff 
that  mother  will  give  you.  This  walnut  Indian 
wears  a  marvelous  feather  headdress.  The 
feathers  come  from  the  chicken  yard  or  the  oldest 
feather  duster — whichever  source  is  available — 
and  they  are  glued  to  a  strip  of  brown  paper 
which,  in  turn  is  glued  to  the  little  Indian's  head. 

There  should  be  a  whole  tribe  of  Indians,  as 
many  as  you  can  make  before  bedtime,  and  when 
it  comes  morning  run  up  to  the  play  room  and 
stand  the  Indian  braves  at  the  doors  of  their  wig- 
wams or  in  the  little  path  between  the  trees  where 
they  can  see  their  real  green  grass  coming  up,  and 
enjoy  the  friendly  shelter  of  their  fine  little  camp- 
ing ground. 

These  nut  Indians  will  need  bows  and  arrows 
when  they  have  sham  battles.  Tiny  twigs  may 
be  bent  bow  shape  with  rubber  bands  for  bow 
strings  and  burned  out  matches  may  be  sharpened 
to  a  point  for  arrows.     Toothpicks  make  arrows, 


154     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

too.  A  bow  and  a  bundle  of  arrows  may  be  laid 
at  the  door  of  each  little  Indian's  wigwam.  The 
canoe  that  floats  on  the  tin  pan  lake  is  made  of 
a  strip  of  folded  birch  bark  shaped  at  the  ends 
like  a  real  canoe  and  stitched  with  brown  linen 
thread.     It  will  really  float  if  it  is  carefully  made. 

For  a  camp  fire,  pile  up  some  broken  twigs  in  a 
cleared  spot  in  your  Indian  encampment  and  put 
in  some  scraps  of  twisted,  red  tissue  paper  which 
will  look  like  flames.  One  of  the  kettles  from  the 
dolls'  kitchen  may  hang  on  a  forked  stick  over 
this  make-believe  fire  to  cook  the  dinner  for  the 
walnut  Indian  tribe. 

This  play  Indian  village  will  last  all  winter,  a 
comfortable  camping  ground  for  the  tribe,  and  a 
delightful  plaything  for  the  clever  boy  who 
made  it. 

There  may  be  some  walnut  squaws  added  per- 
haps, and  some  peanut  papooses  wrapped  in 
blankets  cut  from  a  scrap  of  old  chamois  and  hung 
contentedly  by  thread  to  the  sheltering  trees. 
The  grass  will  grow  so  high  that  it  may  have  to 
be  mowed  with  the  nursery  scissors,  and  when 
the  trees  fade,  more  can  be  gathered  and  put  in 
the  places  of  the  old  ones. 


CORN  TOYS  AND  HOW  TO  MAKE  THEM 

CORN  cobs  really  look  as  if  they  would  like 
to  play.  There  is  a  whole  binfiil  out  in 
the  barn,  and  the  chickens  do  not  want  them  and 
neither  does  the  farmer.  He  will  make  a  big  bon- 
fire out  in  the  wood  lot  some  day  and  burn  up  all 
the  corn  cobs  if  the  children  do  not  take  posses- 
sion of  them  first,  and  help  them  to  play  by  mak- 
ing them  into  toys. 

What  fine,  long,  straight  little  logs  they  are  for 
a  log  cabin,  or  they  might  be  made  into  Indian 
or  toy  rafts,  or  a  rail  fence,  or  almost  anything 
else  a  child  chooses. 

First  you  can  make  a  little  rail  fence  that 
stretches  across  one  corner  of  the  barn  floor.  To 
do  this,  lay  down  six  corn  cobs  in  zigzag  fashion 
on  the  floor  with  the  ends  not  quite  as  far  apart 
as  the  cobs  are  long.  Then  across  every  two  cob 
ends  lay  another  cob  and  finish  the  fence  in  this 
way,  making  it  very  snug. 

Behind  the  fence  lives  Apple  Johnny.  He 
owns  the  farm  whose  boundary  lines  the  fence 
marks  out  on  the  floor.     Apple  Johnny  has  a  little 

155 


156     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

hard  apple  for  his  head  joined  by  a  toothpick  to 
a  fat  apple  that  forms  his  body.  His  legs  and 
arms  are  twigs  and  his  face  is  cut  with  a  jack- 
knife  in  the  smaller  apple.  Apple  Johnny  has  a 
herd  of  wild  potato  horses  on  his  farm.  Each  po- 
tato has  four  twig  legs,  and  a  flowing  mane,  made 
of  a  fringed  corn  husk  pinned  to  the  long  end  of 
the  potato,  and  a  straw  tail  pinned  to  the  other 
end. 

As  you  put  the  last  corn  cob  in  the  fence,  you 
heard  the  rain  just  pouring  and  pouring  on  the 
barn  eaves.  Suppose  the  roof  of  the  barn  should 
cave  in  and  the  whole  inside  be  flooded  I  What 
would  poor  little  Apple  Johnny  do,  and  how  would 
he  ever  make  his  escape?  Apple  Johnny  must 
have  a  raft.  Select  six  more  corn  cobs  from  the 
binful,  all  of  them  just  the  same  length,  and  lay 
them  down  on  the  barn  floor,  side  by  side.  In  one 
of  the  corners  of  the  barn  is  an  old  last  summer's 
berry  basket.  Strip  off  two  bits  of  the  binding 
rim  as  long  as  the  row  of  cobs  is  wide.  Xail  one 
to  each  end  of  the  row  of  corn  cobs,  putting  a 
nail  in  each  cob,  which  holds  the  small  raft  firmly 
in  place.  Then  turn  the  raft  right  side  up  and 
to  one  end  nail  a  long,  straight  twig  for  a  mast, 
to  which  you  can  glue  a  white  paper  sail.  It  is 
a  fine  little  raft  when  it  is  completed,  and  strong 


CORN  TOYS  157 

enough  to  carry  Apple  Johnny  and  a  potato  horse 
or  two  safely  through  any  possible  flood. 

But  Apple  Johnny  has  no  house.  Well,  a 
house  is  easily  planned  when  one  has  a  whole  bin 
of  corn  cobs  to  draw  upon  for  building  materials. 

Gather  an  armful  of  cobs  and  make  a  corn-cob 
house.  Lay  two  corn  cobs  opposite  each  other, 
and  two  more  across  the  ends,  log  cabin  fashion, 
driving  nails  through  to  hold  them  together. 
Next,  put  two  more  corn  cobs  over  the  first 
tw^o  and  two  more  over  the  second,  until  the  house 
is  twice  as  high  as  Apple  Johnny  is  tall.  For  a 
roof,  nail  two  sides  of  the  berry  basket  to  the  log 
cabin,  and  then  with  a  rip  saw  cut  out  a  front  door 
high  enough  to  let  Apple  Johnny  step  through. 
There  will  be  rather  wide  chinks  in  the  house,  but 
you  can  play  that  these  are  windows  through 
which  Apple  Johnny  can  watch  for  the  corn-cob 
Indians  and  shoot  at  them  with  a  twig  musket 
when  he  sees  them  coming. 

You  can  make  a  whole  tribe  of  these  corn-cob 
Indians,  and  it  will  be  the  most  fun  of  all,  even 
jollier  than  making  a  corn-cob  fence,  and  a  raft, 
and  a  house.  First,  wind  corn  husks  around  a 
cob  to  make  the  Indian's  clothes,  but  leave  one 
end,  th€  larger  end  of  the  cob,  uncovered  because 
that  is  going  to  be  the  Indian's  head.     Then  on 


158     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

this  end,  mark  a  face  with  a  bit  of  charcoal ;  eyes, 
nose,  and  mouth ;  and  paint  the  cheeks  red  with  a 
crushed  cranberry,  rubbing  the  juice  on  the  corn 
cob.  The  hens'  nests  in  the  barn  are  full  of  ever 
so  many  pretty  feathers,  so  you  can  collect  as 
many  of  these  as  you  wish  and  glue  them  to  the 
corn-cob  Indian's  head  for  his  headdress.  Last 
of  all,  ask  mother  if  she  is  willing  to  give  you  a 
few  pieces  of  the  left  over  plain  cloth  from  sister's 
school  dress  for  the  corn-cob  Indian's  blanket. 
Of  course  mother  is  willing.  Almost  every  moth- 
er is  willing  to  give  a  boy  things  when  he  is  try- 
ing to  amuse  himself  all  alone.  She  may  even  cut 
a  square  of  gay  plaid  from  the  piece  of  cloth  itself 
and  turn  out  all  the  pieces  from  her  sewing  bag, 
where  there  are  other  scraps  just  right  for  In- 
dians' blankets;  red  flannel,  and  gray  serge  like 
your  last  winter  suit,  and  brown  merino,  and  yel- 
low silk. 

The  Indian  looks  very  splendid  indeed  in  his 
feather  headdress  and  a  red  plaid  blanket.  All 
he  needs  then  is  a  bow  and  quiver  of  arrows. 
The  bow  you  can  make  by  bending  a  length  of 
willow  and  tying  a  piece  of  cord  across.  The 
arrows  are  shorter,  pointed  twigs  with  a  very 
small  hen's  feather  tied  to  the  end  of  each. 

This  Indian  you  can  name  Chief  Big  Cob. 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  MARBLE  BAG 

NOBODY  knows  why  the  first  of  March 
brings  marbles,  but  it  certainly  does.  Some 
games  really  belong  to  the  season  in  which  they 
come  as  coasting  and  snowfights,  but  other  games 
are  played  at  certain  times  of  the  year  for  no  rea- 
son except  that  they  always  have  been  and  always 
will  be.  If  some  one  should  ask  a  boy — any  boy, 
why  it  wouldn't  be  better  to  play  football  in  the 
summer  and  baseball  at  Thanksgiving  time,  he 
couldn't  tell  you,  but  his  sense  of  the  fitness  of 
things  would  be  outraged. 

And  so,  when  the  snow  goes  away,  and  the  frost 
comes  out  of , the  ground,  and  the  sap  begins  to 
run  in  the  trees,  and  a  boy's  toes  wiggle  and  wig- 
gle and  long  to  kick  out  of  his  shoes  and  dig 
themselves  into  the  soft  mud,  it  is  quite  the  proper 
thing  for  him  to  hunt  up  all  his  last  year's  marbles, 
and  ask  his  sister — or  somebody  else's  sister — to 
make  him  a  bag  to  hold  them,  so  that  he  will  be 
ready  for  the  season's  marble  campaign. 

The  simplest  marble  bag  to  make  is  one  which 
is  made  in  just  the  same  way  as  a  tobacco  pouch. 

159 


i6o     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

Take  an  oblong  piece  of  heavy  tan  canvas,  meas- 
uring twelve  inches  long  by  five  inches  wide. 
Tan  does  not  show  the  dirt  readily,  and  the 
heavier  the  material  is  the  better,  for  the  bag  is 
not  going  to  be  gently  handled.  Double  this  piece 
of  canvas  in  the  center,  so  that  it  forms  a  bag  six 
inches  deep  by  five  wide.  Sew  up  the  two  side 
seams  with  a  coarse  needle  and  very  heavy  linen 
thread,  and  make  the  seams  very  strong.  The 
sewing  should  be  about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  back 
from  the  edges.  Then  ''scrape"  the  seams  open, 
which  simply  means  to  run  your  thumb  nail  along 
the  seams  right  where  the  joining  is,  so  that  one 
raw  edge  shall  be  folded  toward  each  side.  Next 
make  a  hem  at  the  top  by  folding  the  material 
over  once,  and  then  again.  This  hem  should  be 
about  a  quarter  of  an  inch  wide,  and  in  sewing 
it  down  leave  a  space  unsewed  on  one  side  where 
it  crosses  the  seam,  so  that  the  draw  string  can 
be  run  in.  Turn  your  bag  so  that  it  will  be 
right  side  out,  and  the  seaming  all  on  the  in- 
side. A  piece  of  heavy,  wrapping-paper  twine 
twelve  inches  long  will  make  a  fine  draw  string, 
by  running  it  through  the  hem  with  a  bodkin  and 
tying  the  two  ends  together. 

Another  marble  bag  that  will  prove  very  satis- 
factory, and  will  be  so  unusual  that  the  boy  who 


F7a  / 


Pattern  of  a  Marble  Bag. 
[i6i] 


1 62     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

owns  it  can  gloat  over  the  other  fellows,  is  made 
of  very  heavy  chamois,  or  buckskin.  A  paper 
pattern  is  made  first,  like  Fig.  i.  It  measures 
two  and  a  half  inches  across  the  top,  four  and  a 
half  inches  from  side  to  side  at  a  point  three  and 
three-quarters  inches  below  the  top,  and  its  height 
is  six  and  a  half  inches.  After  these  points  have 
been  determined  a  boy  can  mark  in  the  vase 
shaped  outline  freehand.  When  the  pattern  is 
made  and  cut  out,  lay  it  on  the  buckskin,  holding 
it  carefully,  so  that  it  will  not  slip,  and  cut  four 
pieces  just  alike.  Then  take  a  large  darning 
needle  or  a  *'rug"  needle  and  thread  it  with  a 
strand  of  raffia.  If  red,  or  blue,  or  green  raffia 
are  used  instead  of  the  ordinary  natural  color,  it 
will  make  the  sewing  very  decorative.  Take  two 
of  the  pieces  of  buckskin,  and,  beginning  at  the 
bottom,  sew  them  together  with  the  stitch  that 
is  used  for  making  baseballs.  This  is  done  by 
taking  a  stitch  up  from  underneath,  then  cross- 
ing over,  and  taking  a  stitch  up  from  the  un- 
der side  of  the  other  piece,  then  back  to  the 
first  piece  and  so  on,  drawing  the  raffia  snug 
each  time.  Instead  of  making  a  knot  at  the  be- 
ginning, leave  the  raffia  hanging  loose  for  about 
an  inch  or  more,  and  when  the  top  of  the  seam 


HOW  TO  MAKE  A  MARBLE  BAG     163 

is  reached,  fasten  the  raffia  tight  before  cut- 
ting off.  Next  join  the  third  piece  to  the  sec- 
ond in  the  same  way,  the  fourth  to  the  third, 
and  then  the  fourth  to  the  first,  so  that  all  four 
together  form  a  bag.  Take  the  four  ends  of  raf- 
fia at  the  bottom  and  knot  them  snugly  together, 
two  by  two.  They  may  be  trimmed  off  short,  or 
left  hanging  loose  to  form  a  tassel  for  decoration. 
Now  take  a  narrow  piece  of  soft  wood  and  slip 
it  inside  the  mouth  of  the  bag,  so  that  you  can  cut 
slits  for  the  draw  string.  They  are  cut  with  a 
sharp  penknife  and  should  come  just  at  the  nar- 
rowest part,  or  neck  of  the  bag.  If  the  upper 
ends  of  the  cuts  are  three-quarters  of  an  inch 
from  the  top  of  the  bag,  and  the  cuts  themselves  a 
half  inch  long,  they  will  be  about  right.  There 
are  four  cuts  in  each  section  making  sixteen  cuts 
in  all.  Next  take  three  pieces  of  raffia  twenty- 
four  inches  long.  Knot  the  three  together  at  one 
end,  and  then  braid  them  tightly  into  a  cord. 
When  the  other  end  is  reached  knot  it  as  you  did 
the  first.  String  this  cord  through  the  slits  in 
the  neck  of  the  bag  just  as  though  you  were  weav- 
ing— under  one,  over  one,  under  one,  over  one — 
and  then  when  it  is  all  strung,  tie  the  two  ends 
together  in  a  square  knot. 


i64     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

It  makes  an  exceedingly  unique  bag,  and  will 
hold  all  the  marbles  a  boy  can  win,  and  besides 
winning  marbles  he  will  win  the  envy  of  every 
other  boy  who  sees  his  fine,  new  marble  bag. 


HOW   TO   MAKE   YOUR   OWN   SCHOOL 

BOX 

EVERY  boy  needs  a  pencil  box.  Plain  little 
oblong  boxes  most  of  them,  with  a  flat  hinged 
cover,  and  a  little  lock  that  you  keep  carefully 
fastened  with  the  key.  That  is,  a  boy  locks  his 
pencil  box  when  he  is  able  to  find  the  key,  but 
whether  it  was  in  his  pocket,  or  fastened  to  his 
watch  chain,  the  school-box  key  always  does  man- 
age to  get  away,  somewhere — to  make  its  escape. 
One  day,  however,  the  boy  sees  displayed  in  the 
window  of  a  stationery  shop,  a  new  sort  of  pencil 
box,  a  most  fascinating  kind.  The  cover  of  the 
box  is  made  of  narrow  strips  of  wood  fastened 
side  by  side  like  the  strips  in  the  top  of  a  roll-top 
desk,  and  when  the  shopman  opens  the  pencil  box 
to  show  the  boy  the  inside,  the  cover  just  slides 
right  back  out  of  sight,  while  the  boy  looks  on  in 
open-eyed  astonishment.  The  shopman's  supply 
of  these  magic  boxes  is  limited,  though,  and  there 
is  a  wild  scramble  for  their  possession  among  the 
boys  who  can  produce  ten  cents — for  that  is  the 
exorbitant  price  charged  by  the  shopman.     The 

165 


1 66     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

boy  wants  one  of  those  magic  boxes.  His  fingers 
just  tingle  and  burn  to  hold  one  and  try  to  make 
the  cover  slide  in  its  charming  way,  but  he  has 
only  five  cents,  he  can't  buy  one. 

The  boy  will  be  able  to  make  his  own  pencil  box, 
though,  and  this  is  the  way  he  must  go  about  it 
in  order  to  construct  one  of  those  fascinating, 
roll-top  ones,  just  like  the  one  in  the  shop  window. 

In  the  first  place,  a  boy  must  know  how  to  whit- 
tle. All  that  he  needs  in  the  way  of  material  is  a 
jack-knife,  some  pieces  of  wood  three-sixteenths 
of  an  inch  thick,  some  more  pieces  an  eighth  thick, 
a  strip  of  white  cloth,  and  some  little  three-eighth 
inch  nails. 

The  first  piece  to  make  (Fig.  i)  is  the  side  of 
the  box.  It  is  just  a  plain  oblong  of  the  three-six- 
teenth inch  wood,  measuring  nine  inches  long  by 
two  and  a  quarter  inches  wide.  All  the  pieces  are 
made  three-sixteenths  thick  except  the  strips  for 
the  cover.  Two  of  these  sides  are  necessary  of 
course. 

Next  come  two  strips  nine  inches  long  and  a 
quarter  of  an  inch  wide  which  are  fastened, 
notched  side  up  on  the  inside  of  each  side,  ''flush" 
— even — that  is,  with  the  top,  with  four  little 
nails  driven  from  the  outside.  The  piece  which 
is  cut  from  the  end  of  each  of  these,  as  shown  in 


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[i68] 


YOUR  OWN  SCHOOL  BOX  169 

the  drawing,  is  to  make  a  joint  which  is  later  to 
be  fitted  with  Fig.  10. 

Fig.  3  is  eight  and  nine-sixteenths  inches  long 
and  one  and  seven-sixteenths  wide  and  one  end 
is  rounded  into  a  half  circle.  Figs.  3  and  4  are 
nailed  in  position  on  the  inside  of  the  side  pieces, 
and  together  they  form  the  track  around  which 
the  cover  runs.  Two  of  each  are  required. 
Fig.  5  is  the  bottom  piece,  and  is  simply  an  ob- 
long nine  inches  long  by  two  and  a  half  wide. 
It  is  placed  in  position  with  the  side  pieces  up- 
right on  either  side  of  it  and  nailed  from  the  out- 
side. 

It  is  best  to  make  the  cover  next,  so  that  you 
can  test  it  and  see  that  it  works  smoothly  before 
any  more  of  the  box  is  put  together.  It  is  made 
of  little  strips  (Fig.  6)  three-eighths  of  an  inch 
wide  and  two  and  a  half  inches  long,  "sliding  fit," 
which  means  that  they  are  to  be  a  little  less 
than  two  and  a  half,  so  that  they  will  slide  in  a 
space  two  and  a  half  inches  wide.  A  sharp  rub 
on  the  ends  with  sandpaper  will  make  this  slight 
difference.  There  are  twenty-two  of  these  strips, 
and  they  are  glued  side  by  side  on  a  strip  of  white 
muslin  cloth.  If  you  use  a  piece  with  a  selvage 
on  one  side,  you  will  be  more  sure  of  making  the 
cover  perfectly  straight. 


I70     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

Fig.  7  is  the  handle  and  is  to  be  nailed  flat  to 
the  second  strip — the  one  next  to  the  end  strip. 

Fig.  8  and  Fig.  9  are  a  false  bottom  and  false 
end,  which  form  the  receptacle  for  the  pencils,  and 
hide  the  mechanism  of  the  cover.  They  are 
nailed  in  position  as  shown  in  Fig.  12.  The  nails 
to  fasten  these  in  place  must  be  a  little  longer  than 
the  others,  because  they  have  to  be  nailed  from  the 
outside  and  must  go  through  two  thicknesses  of 
wood  and  project  into  a  third. 

The  next  piece  to  make  is  Fig.  10 — an  oblong 
measuring  one  and  a  half  inches  by  two  and  a  half, 
and  cut  to  make  a  joint  with  Fig.  2.  This  is 
placed  across  the  top  and  nailed  down,  covering 
the  rounding  end  of  the  "track.'' 

Now  the  cover  may  be  slipped  into  position  and 
the  end  pieces  (Fig.  11),  oblongs  two  and  a  quar- 
ter inches  by  two  and  seven-eighths,  nailed  on, 
and  the  box  is  done. 

It  is  a  convenient  size,  the  receptacle  for  pencils 
is  ample,  and  to  one  who  does  not  know,  the  dis- 
appearance of  that  cover  when  it  opens  is  a  mys- 
tery that  borders  on  black  art. 


A  HOME-MADE  CHRISTMAS  TREE 
STAND 

NOBODY  will  deny  that  a  Christmas  tree  has 
plenty  of  backbone,  but  somehow  it  doesn't 
seem  to  have  intelligence  enough  to  use  it.  Or 
else  it  resents  the  taking  away  of  its  roots  and  the 
substitution  of  a  shop-made  standard  that  it  con- 
siders inadequate.  As  a  matter  of  fact  the  stand- 
ards that  you  can  buy  in  the  shops  are  inadequate 
for  a  tree  of  any  size.  And  so,  if  the  boy  of  the 
family  is  handy  with  tools,  it  is  up  to  him  to  make 
one. 

A  very  good  standard  for  a  Christmas  tree — 
strong,  durable,  and  ornamental  as  well — may  be 
made  from  a  strip  of  one-by-two-inch  ^'dressed" 
lumber  12  ft.  long  (which  costs  about  a  cent  and 
a  half  a  foot),  and  some  pieces  of  an  old  dry 
goods  box. 

First,  saw  off  from  your  one-by-two-inch  strip 
four  pieces  twelve  inches  long  and  four  pieces 
eleven  inches.  These  are  to  make  Figs,  i,  2,  and 
4.     Make  four  pieces  like  Fig.  i  and  two  pieces 

171 


172     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

like  Fig.  2 ;  the  notch  at  the  end  is  cut  with  a  saw 
across  the  grain,  and  then  spht  out  with  a  chisel. 

When  these  are  done,  join  two  of  the  twelve- 
inch  pieces  and  two  of  the  eleven  inch  to  form  a 
square  frame.  The  joint  is  shown  in  Fig.  3,  and 
it  should  be  glued  or  nailed,  or  both,  which  is 
safer. 

Next  make  the  other  two  eleven-inch  pieces  like 
Fig.  4.  These  are  just  like  Fig.  2  except  that  a 
groove  four  inches  wide  and  one  inch  deep  is  cut 
in  the  middle  of  each.  Then  they  are  joined  with 
the  other  twelve-inch  pieces  to  form  a  frame  simi- 
lar to  the  first.  The  first  frame  is  to  go  at  the 
bottom  of  the  standard,  and  the  second  frame, 
placed  with  the  grooves  tip,  is  for  the  top. 

Now  cut  from  the  remainder  of  the  strip  two 
more  pieces  twelve  inches  long.  With  a  compass 
set  at  an  inch-and-a-half  radius,  and  the  center  in 
the  exact  middle  of  one  edge,  draw  a  half  circle 
on  each,  and  chip  it  out  with  a  chisel  like  Fig.  5. 
The  use  of  these  will  be  described  later. 

The  remainder  of  the  strip  will  make  four  pieces 
eighteen  inches  long,  with  a  bit  left  over.  These 
are  to  stand  on  their  two-inch  faces,  and  the  upper 
edges  of  each  end  should  be  rounded  off  with  a 
''block''  plane.  Then  two  grooves  are  cut  in  each 
piece,  two  of  the  pieces  having  the  grooves  on  the 


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1- 


A  CHRISTMAS  TREE  STAND        175 

upper  side  and  two  on  the  under  side,  like  Figs. 
6  and  7. 

Now  cut  from  your  packing  box  sixteen  strips 


AAA 


Christmas  Tree  Stand. 

or  pickets  one  and  three-quarters  inches  wide  and 
fourteen  inches  long,  like  Fig.  8.  These  may  be 
"ripped  out"  with  a  saw  and  smoothed  up  with  a 
plane  and  sandpaper. 


176     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

To  "assemble"  the  standard  join  first  the  two 
Fig.  6  strips  and  two  Fig.  7.  This  leaves  a  hole 
two  inches  square  in  the  center  and  two  strips 
projecting  from  each  of  the  four  sides.  Place  the 
first  square  frame  that  you  made  on  this,  so  that 
its  sides  will  be  equally  distant  from  the  center, 
and  nail  in  position.  Next  nail  the  pickets  in  po- 
sition so  that  the  lower  end  of  the  pickets  will  be 
"flush"  with  the  lower  side  of  the  frame.  Next, 
hold  the  upper  frame,  with  the  grooves  up, 
in  position,  eight  inches  above  the  lower  frame 
and  nail  the  pickets  to  that.  Fig.  9  shows  the 
complete  assembly. 

Now  give  the  frame,  and  the  two  pieces  like 
Fig.  5  a  coat  of  dark  green  paint,  and  the  standard 
is  ready  for  use.  Slip  the  tree  into  the  square 
hole  in  the  base.  If  the  trunk  is  a  bit  too  large, 
whittle  it  to  fit.  Then  place  the  two  pieces  like 
Fig.  5  around  the  trunk  at  the  top  of  the  frame 
for  a  clamp,  and  slip  them  into  the  grooves  in  the 
upper  frame,  and  you  will  find  your  tree  quite 
ready  to  stand  up  and  behave. 


HOW  TO  WRAP  CHRISTMAS  PARCELS 

HOW  many  boys  and  big  folks,  too,  have  at 
some  time  received  a  Christmas  gift  which 
WRS  broken,  or  crushed,  or  spoiled  in  some  w^ay 
through  the  careless  packing  of  the  sender.  Even 
at  ordinary  times  the  mail  service  and  Express 
Companies  are  hard  enough  upon  packages  given 
to  their  care.  The  term  "baggage-smasher" 
ought  not  to  be  restricted  to  the  employees  of  the 
railways  alone,  and  when  at  Christmas  time  the 
mails  and  express  lines  are  congested  with  pack- 
ages of  all  descriptions,  and  the  men  are  tired  and 
overworked  trying  to  deliver  gifts  that  have  been 
sent  at  the  last  minute — then  it  is  doubly  needful 
to  insure  the  safety  of  your  Christmas  presents  by 
careful  packing. 

Of  course  the  wrapping  of  a  gift  cannot  change 
its  value,  but  you  should  bear  in  mind  that  your 
gift  will  seem  doubly  attractive  to  the  one  who  re- 
ceives it,  if  inside  of  the  serviceable  outside  wrap- 
ping, there  is  another  dainty  one,  and  the  expense 
is  so  trifling  that  it  need  hardly  be  considered.  A 
dozen  sheets  of  tissue  paper  cost  only  a  dime. 

177 


178     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

Pure  white  or  warm  ''Christmassy"  red  are  the 
most  desirable  kinds.  Another  dime  will  pur- 
chase a  box  of  Christmas  seals — small  ones  with 
pictures  of  holly  and  mistletoe,  or  large  ones  with 
Santa  Claus  heads  or  Christmas  bells  on  them. 
If  you  prefer  tying,  to  sealing,  the  ten  cents  will 
buy  a  dozen  yards  of  ''tying"  ribbon,  which  is 
crimson  "baby"  ribbon  in  a  cheaper  grade  than 
is  ordinarily  sold.  Gilt  cord  is  also  very  attrac- 
tive for  tying  up  gifts,  and  a  tiny  spray  of  holly 
tucked  under  the  cord  or  ribbon  gives  a  final 
dainty  Christmas  touch. 

Perhaps,  though,  you  live  so  far  away  from  a 
town  that  you  are  not  able  to  buy  these  Christmas 
seals,  and  the  tying  ribbon.  Almost,  if  not  quite 
as  pretty  to  fasten  the  inside  tissue  paper  wrap- 
ping of  a  gift  will  be  some  very  tiny,  red  maple 
leaves  gathered  in  the  fall  with  the  thought  of 
Christmas  in  mind,  and  pressed  with  a  hot  flat 
iron  on  which  some  beeswax  has  been  rubbed. 
This  preserves  the  bright  color  of  the  leaves  and 
keeps  them  stiff  until  you  need  to  use  them. 
After  carefully  folding  in  the  ends  of  the  tissue 
paper  about  the  gift,  the  paper  is  fastened  down 
by  gluing  on  a  few  of  these  gay,  pressed  leaves, 
and  in  the  folds  of  the  paper  a  wee  spray  of  pine 
or  a  little  wreath  made  of  ground  pine,  or  a  bunch 


TO  WRAP  CHRISTMAS  PARCELS     179 

of  partridge  berries  may  be  tucked.  Another 
way  of  making  a  gift  look  like  the  country  is  to 
tie  it  with  strands  of  sweet  grass. 

When  the  gifts  are  wrapped,  and  you  are  ready 
to  pack  them  for  shipment,  there  are  a  few  gen- 
eral rules  that  must  be  remembered. 

First:  That  the  gifts  must  be  packed  as 
snugly  as  it  is  possible  to  do  without  harming 
them. 

Second:  That  nothing— not  even  excelsior- 
is  quite  as  effective  in  stopping  the  transmission 
of  bumps  and  jars  as  crumpled  up  newspapers. 

Third :  That  the  name  and  address  of  the  per- 
son to  whom  the  gift  is  sent  and  also  the  address 
of  the  sender  must  be  legibly  written  in  your  best 
school  hand  on  the  outer  covering  where  they  are 
not  liable  to  be  torn  off.  You  must  remember 
that,  while  the  names  and  addresses  are  perfectly 
familiar  to  you,  they  are  totally  unknown  to  the 
men  through  whose  hands  the  parcels  go,  and  in 
handling  thousands  of  packages,  illegible  writing 
means  much  delay. 

The  rule  of  packing  things  tightly  refers  to 
everything— t\^n  things  which  would  seem  most 
crushable,  for  there  is  far  more  harm  done  by 
packing  these  loosely  so  that  they  slip  around  with 
every  turn  of  the  package,  than  by  crushing  them 


i8o     BOYS'  MAKE- AT-HOME  THINGS 

flat  in  one  position.  Take  a  delicate  waist,  for 
instance.  If  packed  loosely,  it  will  come  out  of 
its  box  rumpled  and  wrinkled  in  every  direction, 
but  if  it  is  folded  flat,  the  sleeves  stufTed  with 
crumpled  tissue  paper,  and  the  spaces  around  it  in 
the  box  filled  with  the  same,  it  will  reach  its  des- 
tination quite  as  fresh  as  when  it  started. 

It  is  better  to  box  all  gifts  if  possible.  Very 
pretty  Christmas  boxes  of  all  sizes  and  shapes  ma}' 
be  bought  in  the  shops,  or,  in  place  of  these,  you 
can  use  empty  candy  boxes  which  most  people 
stow  away  for  just  such  purposes. 

Do  not  select  a  box  that  is  too  small  and  leaves 
too  little  space  for  filling  in  with  crushed  paper^ 
and  try  and  think,  too,  of  the  weight  of  the  gift 
in  selecting  your  box. 

If  you  are  packing  odd  pieces  of  china,  wrap 
each  piece  separately,  and  see  that  they  are  well 
segregated  with  the  crushed  paper.  If  you  are 
packing  a  number  of  pieces  of  uniform  size  and 
shape — such  as  saucers,  plates,  etc.— place  them 
in  a  pile  with  every  second  one  well  wrapped. 
Then  wrap  the  whole  pile  and  pack  edgewise, 

China  should  be  packed  in  a  wooden  box,  with 
an  addressed  baggage  tag  nailed  on,  or  the  ad- 
dress put  on  the  wood  itself  with  India  ink. 

Flat  things,  calendars,  cards,  photographs,  and 


TO  WRAP  CHRISTMAS  PARCELS     i8i 

handkerchiefs,  gloves,  neckties,  ribbons,  etc.  if 
unboxed,  must  be  protected  by  pasteboard.  For 
this,  the  corrugated  pasteboard  that  is  used  by 
department  stores  is  much  more  effective  than 
the  ordinary  flat  sort.  It  is  much  less  easily  bent, 
and  is  lighter  in  weight,  which  is  of  course  a  great 
advantage,  because  it  makes  the  cost  of  mailing 
less. 

This  corrugated  pasteboard  is  also  very  good 
for  wrapping  things  which  are  light  in  weight, 
but  bulky  and  of  awkward  shape,  for  it  may  be 
rolled  to  accommodate  almost  any  object. 

Doilies,  centerpieces,  and  other  flat  embroid- 
eries must  necessarily  be  kept  uncreased  in  ship- 
ping, but  are  too  large  to  be  sent  flat.  Lay  them 
first  on  a  sheet  of  heavy  wrapping  paper,  cut 
square  and  slightly  larger  than  the  embroidered 
piece.  Then  lay  over  the  embroidery  a  sheet  of 
tissue  paper,  and  carefully  roll  the  whole  thing. 
Then  form  a  tubular  covering  of  the  corrugated 
pasteboard,  and  wrap  with  hardware  paper  out- 
side. In  tying  up  a  tube,  the  cord  should  go  twice 
around  the  tube — once  near  each  end — and  the 
cord  which  goes  lengthwise  should  go  through 
the  opening  of  the  tube  so  that  the  contents  will 
not  slip  out. 

In  tying  packages  for  mailing,  use  good  strong 


i82     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

cord,  and  remember  that  a  package  must  bear  no 
kind  of  a  seal  and  contain  no  kind  of  writing 
beyond  a  simple  Christmas  greeting  if  it  is  to  go 
as  "merchandise/^  Even  one  of  the  little  paper 
seals  stuck  over  the  string  will  render  the  pack- 
age "first  class"  and  subject  to  letter  postage. 

Just  one  more  thing  to  be  remembered  at 
Christmas  time.  Courtesy  is  only  another  name 
for  kindness,  and  it  would  be  discourteous  to  send 
a  gift  which  was  not  fully  prepaid;  or  to  send  a 
gift  "across  the  line,''  which  is  dutiable  to  any 
great  extent.  And  in  courtesy  to  the  men  and 
women  who  have  to  handle  your  gifts  on  their 
journeys,  send  your  Christmas  presents  long 
enough  ahead  of  time  so  that  these  men  and 
women  may  not  be  too  tired  when  Christmas 
comes  to  feel  themselves  its  blessed  peace  and 
cheer. 


YOUR  OWN  WIRELESS  RECEIVING 
STATION 

MOST  boys  are  interested  in  wireless  teleg- 
raphy, and  it  is  possible  for  any  one  of 
them  to  make  a  simple  apparatus  by  which  they 
can  "cut  in"  and  receive  any  wireless  message 
that  happens  to  be  passing  through  their  particu- 
lar zone. 

The  receiving  set  will  require  a  number  of  dif- 
ferent parts,  but  they  are  easily  made — when  one 
knows  how. 

For  actual  hearing  you  will  need  a  telephone 
receiver  of  some  sort.  One  may  be  bought  for 
about  seventy-five  cents  at  an  electrical  supply 
house,  or  an  old  one,  provided  it  is  in  good  con- 
dition, may  be  used. 

Next  comes  a  "detector.''  This  consists  of  a 
wooden  base  about  six  inches  long  by  four  wide 
and  an  inch  thick,  on  which  is  mounted  a  piece  of 
silicon  about  the  size  of  an  egg.  An  insulated 
wire  passed  once  around  the  silicon  and  then 
through  two  holes  in  the  base  will  hold  the  silicon 
in  position  in  the  center  of  the  block.  Put  a  brass 
screw  an  inch  long  at  each  end  of  the  block  and 

183 


i84     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

"connect  up"  the  silicon  in  the  following  way: 
First  take  a  piece  of  No.  22  single-covered  copper 
wire,  scrape  off  a  few  inches  of  the  covering,  and 
wind  this  bare  copper  wire  several  times  around  a 
small  round  stick  to  form  a  spring.  The  bare  end 
of  the  spring  must  be  filed  to  a  point  and  rest 
against  one  end  of  the  silicon,  wdiile  the  other  end 


\ i 


fYooe^er)   3ss< 


Detector. 

of  the  wire  is  wound  around  one  of  the  brass 
screws.  Next,  take  a  piece  of  ordinary  insulated 
telephone  wire,  bare  one  end  far  enough  to  wind 
firmly  around  the  free  end  of  the  piece  of  silicon. 
and  then  wind  the  other  end  of  this  wire  around 
the  second  brass  screw.  This  makes  a  metallic 
circuit  through  the  silicon  which  will  "make"  or 
"break"  with  the  touching  or  removing  of  the 
spring. 

Next  you  need  a  "tuning  coil."  This  has  a 
wooden  base  twelve  inches  by  six  and  an  inch 
thick.  To  make  the  coil  itself  a  stick  twelve 
inches  long  and  one  and  a  half  inches  in  diam- 
eter— a   piece   of   an   old   curtain   pole   will   do 


WIRELESS  RECEIVING  STATION     185 

— and  wind  carefully  on  it  a  half  pound  of  the 
No.  22  single-covered  copper  wire.  The  end 
of  this  wire  is  fastened  to  the  stick  with  a 
small  tack,  and  it  should  be  wound  very  evenly 
and  closely.  The  last  end  is  left  free  for  a  con- 
nection. After  it  is  wound  give  the  wire  three 
coats  of  shellac,  making  sure  that  each  coat 
is  dry  before  another  one  is  put  on.  When  it  is 
thoroughly  dry  mark  two  straight  lines  from  end 


7b  jDe^ec/o-i 


Tuning  Coil. 

to  end,  a  quarter  of  an  inch  apart.  With  a  sharp 
knife  scrape  off  the  insulation  so  that  the  wires 
are  bare  on  the  outside,  but  be  careful  not  to  dis- 
turb the  insulation  between  the  wires.  To  mount 
the  coil,  nail  at  each  end  a  wooden  strip  three 
inches  wide,  three  and  a  half  high  and  one  inch 
thick.  This  has  also  to  be  nailed  to  the  base,  and 
it  should  be  placed  so  that  the  coil  will  clear  the 
base  by  a  half  inch.  The  strip  of  bare  wire  on 
the  coil  should  be  uppermost.     Now  get  a  brass 


1 86     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 


rod  one  quarter  of  an  inch  square  and  thirteen 
inches  long;  a  thin  brass  strip  one  quarter  inch 
wide  and  two  inches  long;  another  strip  one  inch 
wide  and  one  and  one-quarter  inches  long;  and 
two  round  headed  brass  screws.  Bend  the  wider 
brass  strip  around  the  brass  rod  to  form  a  slider. 
Bend  the  narrow  brass  strip  in  the  center  to  form 
a  V  spring.  Solder  one  end  of  this  to  the  slider 
so  that  it  is  in  the  position  shown  in  the  drawing. 
Slip  the  slider  on  the  brass  rod,  place  the  rod  in 
position  directly  over  the  pathway  of  bared  wire 
on  the  coil  so  that  the  lower  end  of  the  V  spring 
will  press  on  this  pathway,  and  fasten  the  rod  se- 
curely with  the  brass  screws  to  the  wooden  end 
pieces. 

For  the  ''aerial"  get  three  or  four  hundred  feet 
of  wire — No.  i6  galvanized  wire  will  do,  though 


Aer^fSt  h'/'T-e. 

^J 

\     , 

7b   St^^.o^y. 

/ler/a/  tr^r^ 

o     /n^u/ak-^or  /^>7oi>s. 


Aerial. 


WIRELESS  RECEIVING  STATION     187 


aluminum  or  copper  wire  is  better — some  insula- 
tor knobs,  and  two  cross  spreaders  three  feet 
long.  The  parallel  wires  in  the  aerial  should  be 
at  least  two  feet  apart,  and  the  aerial  should  be 
placed  as  high  as  possible  so  that  surrounding 
buildings,  etc.,  will  not  interfere  with  the  wire- 


yrtre'h  /Jer/a/. 


hf^rf. 


^ 


Scren!^  ^ 


Ui 


II 


Scret£^ 


ytire 
to 
Qrcu, 


to  Cc//, 


7i 


Switch. 


less  wave.  The  bare  wires,  wherever  they  are 
fastened  to  poles  or  trees  must,  of  course,  be 
wound  around  insulators.  For  a  ground  con- 
nection, fasten  an  ordinary  insulated  wire  to  a 
water  pipe  or  to  a  piece  of  iron  pipe  sunk  five  feet 
in  damp  ground.  A  safety  switch  may  be  made, 
like  the  drawing,  from  a  piece  of  wood  six  inches 


i88     BOYS'  MAKE-AT-HOME  THINGS 

square  and  an  inch  thick,  a  piece  of  stiff  brass 
three  inches  long  and  a  half  inch  wide,  and  three 
round-headed  brass  screws. 

This  completes  the  separate  parts  of  the  receiv- 
ing apparatus.     To  connect  it  up  for  use,  follow 


//TS^A^/e^  hT/re 


7b  Qroun 


hri9t^r  /^/?^ 


Diagram  of  Circuit. 


the  circuit  diagram.  One  wire  from  the  aerial 
leads  through  the  safety  switch  to  the  tuning  coil. 
From  the  tuning  coil  carry  an  insulated  wire  to 
the  detector,  and  from  the  detector  to  the  ground. 
The  receiver  has  two  wires  leading  from  it — one 
to  a  point  between  the  detector  and  the  tuning  coil, 


WIRELESS  RECEIVING  STATION     189 

and  the  other  to  a  similar  point  between  the  detec- 
tor and  the  ground.  When  not  in  use  the  aerial 
should  be  connected  directly  with  the  ground  by 
means  of  the  safety  switch.  Where  two  wires 
are  connected  they  must  of  course  have  the  insula- 
tion scraped  off  so  that  bare  wire  rests  against 
bare  wire. 

When  you  have  learned  to  translate  your  mes- 
sages you  will  be  able  to  do  quite  a  bit  of  wireless 
eavesdropping,  and  your  receiver  will  click  with 
countless  messages. 


THE    END 


SEP  23    1912